Mute Review: 4 Ups & 6 Downs
Another Netflix disappointment.
Moon and Source Code director Duncan Jones has been developing his new straight-to-Netflix sci-fi thriller Mute for over a decade, with the director first posting concept art online way back in 2009.
Due to the trickiness of the premise, however, Jones was unable to secure funding until recently, with Netflix backing the project and once again allowing a talented genre filmmaker fertile ground to do what they do: create.
A shame it is, then, that despite Netflix giving him free reign to realise his Blade Runner-inspired vision, Mute just isn't that good. Though not the abject disaster many other early reviews paint it as, Mute is nevertheless an underwhelming monument to failed potential.
With Jones' clear directorial skill and a cast this splendid, it's clear that the filmmaker needs to let others write his scripts, because four films into his career, a clear pattern has already emerged.
Is Mute worth a watch if you've got a Netflix account? Probably. There are merit-worthy elements for sure and it's interesting enough, but given the lengthy gestation period and how much of a passion project this was for Jones, it's a damn shame the end result feels so utterly pedestrian...