Mickster Movie Review - "All Is Lost" (2013) **1/2

    Bummer. I wanted this movie to be great. I REALLY wanted to like this movie a lot. Unfortunately, it's just good and never ventures into that great territory. All Is Lost stars Robert Redford, and only Robert Redford, as a man who is stranded at sea when his sailboat is hit by a stray shipping container. I first heard about this movie about a year ago when it premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and received solid reviews. I've never been a huge Robert Redford fan as his glory days were a little before my time, but I've liked him enough in the movies of his that I have seen. By my own admission, I do need to make more of an effort to see some of his past work. But I was definitely intrigued by the story which involves Redford's struggle to survive on the seas by himself. He received rave reviews for his performance, which reviews almost zero dialogue the entire film. It was because of these reviews that I had this film high on my list to see throughout 2013.

     All Is Lost is a good movie. The problem is, I felt like I have seen it a million times. It's just one of those type movies. Cast Away, The Perfect Storm, and Life of Pi are just some movies that come immediately to mind when I think about this film. Appropriate enough, those are also examples of films that I enjoyed watching but don't think they are great and find no need to watch them again unless nothing else is on. I feel the same way about All Is Lost. The film is pretty straight forward and doesn't require much of a plot summary. The movie opens with Redford's character, who is never given a name (Our Man is listed on the credits), asleep in his cabin when he awakes to water rushing into his boat. He heads outside to find a shipping container has punched a hole in the side. The incident has damaged his electronic equipment and motor. He is stranded at sea with no way to communicate with land. From then on, it's just a film with how this man struggles with staying alive with no help in sight. I won't reveal how it turns out of course, that's for your to discover on your own.

      If you are a Redford fan, this certainly won't change your opinion of him. He is very good in what must have been a challenging role to film. I just felt the story lacking and familiar. 2 1/2 stars is right in the middle for me, but on my rating system that still is a slight recommendation. Go in with your expectations in check and you can enjoy this. Just don't expect too much from it.

Mickster