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Athena Movie Review

Athena is a 2022 French action crime film directed by Romain Gavras. It is a frustratingly one-note, repetitive viewing experience.

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Hours after the tragic death of their youngest brother in unexplained circumstances, three siblings have their lives thrown into chaos. When the unexplained circumstances raise questions among them, they go in search of answers. This movie portrays modern-day France as a dynamite that is about to explode due to a friction that is mostly racial and religious in nature. This is an interesting, important subject matter that deserves a film like this.

However, the execution here is so mediocre and the end result is a movie that never delved deeper into these issues. The director just depicted them without going into why they happen and what would be the solution to stop this unrest. He was so visually oriented, in fact, that often times the film seemed to support this violent behavior, which to me was troubling to say the least.

The only legitimately good reason to see Athena is for its visuals. The cinematography here is staggeringly cinematic, advanced and particularly striking in the beginning that was the best part of the entire movie. How camera moved and how it managed to capture every single movement on screen was incredible. The classical music accompanying the action was also a nice touch while the editing is strong as well.

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But that is unfortunately where my praise for this movie ends as the script is non-existent. It is documentarian in approach without ever delving into its themes properly. The assault on the senses and the endless action proved to be exhausting in its repetitiveness. This resulted in a structure that is monotonous and tiresome. I was bored by the end of it and it’s not a long movie, which says a lot.