‘Afterburn’ Blu-ray Review
Stars: Dave Bautista, Samuel L. Jackson, Olga Kurylenko, Kristofer Hivju, Daniel Bernhardt, Simon Merrells, Eden Epstein | Written by Nimród Antal, Matt Johnson | Directed by JJ Perry
Directed by JJ Perry and starring Dave Bautista, Samuel L. Jackson, and Olga Kurylenko, Afterburn is a post-apocalyptic action-adventure that promises high-stakes thrills but delivers little more than disposable spectacle. The film imagines a world devastated by a massive solar flare that wipes out all technology and plunges civilisation into chaos. With governments gone, warlords rule what remains of the planet. Among the survivors is Jake (Bautista), a former treasure hunter turned scavenger, who’s hired by a ruthless British warlord (Jackson) to recover the Mona Lisa from the ruins of Europe.
It’s a setup that should lend itself to pulpy adventure, somewhere between Mad Max and Uncharted, but Perry’s film never truly finds its footing. The early moments suggest a gritty, high-energy romp through an imaginative wasteland, yet what follows is disappointingly generic. The world-building lacks depth, the pacing drags, and the script relies on convenient plotting: maps, power sources, and clues appearing exactly when needed. What could have been a tense journey through a fractured Europe becomes a predictable chain of action sequences, stitched together without much momentum.
Bautista gives a committed performance, but his character is written with so little nuance that it’s hard to invest in his mission. His physicality works in the brawls and shootouts, particularly during an explosive opening sequence, but his stoicism can’t disguise the weak writing. Jackson, meanwhile, seems to be phoning it in, playing yet another variation of his usual intimidating persona, while Kurylenko’s role is too underdeveloped to leave much impact. Kristofer Hivju, best known from Game of Thrones, provides some unintentional comedy as a rival warlord whose exaggerated expressions undermine the supposed menace of his character.
Visually, Afterburn has its moments. The scorched landscapes and dusty, tank-filled roads evoke a convincing wasteland aesthetic, and Perry’s background as a stunt coordinator ensures the action scenes are technically competent. However, these strengths can’t distract from the film’s biggest weakness – its lack of originality or emotional weight. Every chase, explosion, and shootout feels familiar, as though lifted from better movies. Even the heavy-handed product placement, most notably a pristine Chevrolet logo gleaming in the apocalypse, breaks immersion and reinforces the sense that this is a film designed more for sponsorship than storytelling.
Ultimately, Afterburn is the definition of “turn-your-brain-off” cinema. It’s loud, occasionally entertaining, and completely hollow. There’s no real tension, no standout performances, and no spark of creativity to elevate it above the sea of forgettable action flicks. For die-hard Bautista fans, it might serve as background entertainment, but for everyone else it’s an easy skip.
** 2/5
Afterburn is out now, in a barebones release, on DVD and Blu-ray, courtesy of Black Bear.
