Hidden Strike wastes potential. The combination of Chan and Cena offers fleeting charm and chemistry, but those glimpses of entertainment are buried under sloppy material. It has a generic plot, minimal character development, forced emotions, ridiculous logistics, corny dialogue, blunt exposition, misfiring humor, an impersonal primary conflict, unearned resolution, and no depth. The acting provides a few moments of vulnerability, but more often sticks to shallow comedy or stiff attempts at drama. Overall, Hidden Strike relies solely on its lead for personality, relatability, or investment, but it gives them almost nothing to work with, so everything runs out of steam fast.
Technically, Hidden Strike is stale and cheap. Its direction is awkward, farcical, and flat. The imagery has reasonable lighting but excessive movement. Its overcut editing rushes pacing, confuses action, and exhausts momentum. The sound adds combat, stings, and emphasis, but is superficial and sometimes chaotic. Its music is generic, repetitive, and tonally inconsistent. The production design is painfully sterile and unintentionally cartoonish. Its cast is extremely thin besides the two stars. The erroneous CGI is ugly and distracting, washing every frame in video-game gloss. Ultimately, Hidden Strike makes mistakes at every turn, squandering the resources at its disposal.
Writing: 2/10
Direction: 2/10
Cinematography: 4/10
Acting: 4/10
Editing: 4/10
Sound: 6/10
Score/Soundtrack: 3/10
Production Design: 3/10
Casting: 6/10
Effects: 3/10
Overall Score: 3.7/10
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