Shout out to Sony Pictures for providing access to this film for our recent interview with the Director! My opinions of this film are my own.
Never Back Down: Revolt... didn't follow the storyline of Case Walker (played by Michael Jai White) seen in parts 2 & 3, it's a completely new direction in the franchise. It's actually the first female-focused film in the franchise, and it was cool that they reached out to Kellie Madison to direct it. Before the arm bars, clinches, and snap kicks start flying... let's jump in.
Story: Never Back Down: Revolt... doesn't take the traditional route of ambitious MMA fighters looking to be part of the action, it takes a super-serious turn. I won't say it started off like that, but... one thing led to another, and... a human trafficking situation took place with Anya (played by Olivia Popica). So then she went from being the sister of a dedicated MMA fighter to an MMA herself (by force). Anya was actually a medical student by day... and worked her way through school as a cleaning woman. So to go from that to MMA as a prisoner... was certainly hell.
Things got a tad sad in this one fight, which I won't spill the beans on, but... I think that was the final straw before all hell broke loose to kick off the... revolt. Things got a little gruesome during that time, but... when you watch the film... you'll understand why. As far as being stuck only seeing the inside of some makeshift prison and fights... no need to worry, there are a few moving parts that keep things interesting. Anya's brother didn't just disappear from the story, he's hellbent on getting his sister back... so you see them working together in a sense as he gets on his detective grind to recover his sister.
Overall, I think the story is well-rounded with a cool symbolic closer at the end (it wasn't cheesy), and... I can't forget about the fact that they didn't spoon-feed the audience which was greatly appreciated.
Visuals: The visuals were okay in this film. Most of the shots were medium, medium close-up shots, and full shots. I don't recall seeing many other angle types outside of the birds-eye view of stairs and a few long shots, but... there may have been pedestal down shots in there somewhere.
Audio: The audio was... okay. It wasn't bad, but I don't recall anything that really stood out, to be honest... but I do have some audio for you in the form of an interview with the director. She has some motivational words for you too! Press play (this is Dolo17's first official interview)!
4.25 out of 5 Cool Points
