Mute (2018) 2/23/2018 - 5-/10

The neon flourishes of a cyberpunk daydream can’t quite spice up a somewhat bland story. The concept isn’t the worst, an Amish mute tries to find his missing girlfriend in the seedy tech underbelly. In fact, it is mostly fine, moving well and popping with a smattering of world building & visuals. The overall product is fun and watchable, but in an average “tofu instead of steak” kind of way. It could have been so much more flavorful, sustaining, and extraordinary than it was.

Some of the CGI felt light/TV-esque. The sheen of a ship, the iridescence of colored hair, and the machinations of some of the tech elements just didn’t quite feel up to snuff. Not jarringly bad, just lacking. That isn’t to say that it was all bad or didn’t work in general.

There were some truly enjoyable dollops of sugary goodness plopped down on this sundae. The “Moon” snippet, the insanely cool gang members design, the general feel of this dark underbelly world, and the world in turmoil/war with America as the villain - all of these spiced up what could have been a pretty dull and vacant husk without.

My appreciation of the subversion of the Rudd stereotype vast. Reminded me of the Fonda turn in “Once Upon a Time in the West”, though more secretive and more of a stab in your viewing expectations. His is charming but it makes his true self all the more unpredictable and vile. He might stand as the high point in this film, but even his story isn’t exceedingly taken.

Mute is quite passable and entertaining, but never moves past average. The concept is novel, but limited and the world building struggles to emerge from “rule of cool” logos. But, it is short, sweet and and would probably scratch the cyber-punk itch for those “console cowboys” and Snow Crash addicts.