'Mute' Review

Netflix is changing the landscape of cinema. The appeal of having 'blockbuster' movies sent straight to your living room is very apparent, and as a result the streaming service continues to throw huge out amounts of money to attract projects to their brand, with limited success so far. Most recently Bright and The Cloverfield Paradox have been both critically and commercially panned, and whilst Mute is considerably better than what has come before it, it still doesn't quite deliver on it's potential.

If you are hoping for the spiritual sequel to Duncan Jones' incredible 2009 debut Moon that Mute was billed as, you might be dissapointed. It turns out to be less of a followup and more of a fresh story that takes place in the same world. We get an extremely brief glimpse at the fallout of Sam Bell's court hearing, but the easter eggs leaving you craving more in place of the story we get.

Speaking of story, the narrative is a little bit all over the place. Our protagonist is Leo (Alexander Skarsgard), a towering, silent barman who is trying to solve the mystery of his missing girlfriend Naadirah (Seyneb Saleh). Skarsgard does a decent job at portraying the simmering frustration of not being able to communicate. His muteness, as well as his Amish faith, is made all the more interesting by the usual absence of such traits dystopian settings. Watching him struggle to get by in a world dominated by technology that either his faith or his silence forbids him to use is some of the most intriguing stuff in this film and I would have loved to have seen more of it. Yet his story is bizarrely swept aside for lengthy intervals, meaning we never really get time to connect with our hero.

Instead, we spend ample time in a weird B-plot featuring Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux as sleazy underground surgeons. The performances of these two are great. It's nice to see Rudd able to play against type for a change. He is, of course, charismatic and hilarious but for the most part a deeply disturbing and unpleasant man. Theroux is equally as awful and the twisted bromance that the two men share is morbidly entertaining. Tonally, Mute feels a lot like a detective noir piece, in that there really isn't a likeable character in sight, which for the most part is used well. However, there are certain revelations about  characters which cross the line from unpleasant into uncomfortable.

There is some relief though in the world that the story takes place in. Even with it's modest budget, it's clear that Jones has had this project in the works for some time, as every aspect feels meticulously planned and looks great. The cyberpunk streets of 2052 Berlin are very reminiscent of Blade Runner, in the best possible ways. There's not a bad example of CGI to be seen, and the world is grounded enough to feel real, even with the flying cars zipping by. Sadly, we only get snippets of time to enjoy the view before we get sucked back into a mystery that gets both more convoluted and less interesting as it's spread thin over the 2 hour runtime.

Mute is far from Duncan Jones best work. If you go in expecting another Moon or Source Code then you'll likely be dissapointed. However, is still a perfectly watchable film. It's got some very enticing elements and good characters that are sadly never fully developed, but the world building and visual designs just about excuse the flaws in the story.

3/5 Stars