Rated PG-13 for intense action, violence and mayhem throughout, some rude gestures, and language.
Starring Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez andJon Voight
Directed by Courtney Solomon (An American Haunting and Dungeons & Dragons)
Once this movie started, a Getaway was all I was looking for.
Brent Magna (Ethan Hawke) is a burned out racecar driver who is thrust into a do-or-die mission behind the wheel when his wife is kidnapped. With Brent’s only ally being a young hacker (Selena Gomez), his one hope of saving his wife is to follow the orders of the mysterious voice (Jon Voight) who’s watching his every move through cameras mounted on the car Brent’s driving.
First of all, Getaway is a 90-minute car chase…but not like the exciting ones that Fox News shows, this is a dull, lifeless chase.
Getaway starts out trying its best to establish a plot through quick flashbacks. But Ethan Hawke is in the car before the opening credits are done and he stays there until we get to the end credits. (Okay, he gets out briefly once or twice in between.)
Besides the fact that Director Courtney Solomon uses the same five shots over and over and over, there’s nothing memorable or interesting about the locations of the chases – the majority of them are through crowded city streets or on less crowded freeways. There’s a lot of swerving, weaving and causing crashes – think Fast & Furious without the creativity or coolness.
Getaway feels more like a direct to DVD release than a big budget summer blockbuster… it also feels a lot like a “Coaster.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There is no sex or nudity, but there is plenty of violence (car crashes etc).
There is 1 F-word, 1 obscene hand gesture, 28 S-words and other milder profanity.
CONVERSATION STARTER
- What is Brent’s mission?
- What does he do to accomplish his goal?
- What are some of your goals?
- Read 1 Corinthians 10:31
So whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. - What does that verse mean to you?
- How can you align your goals with bringing glory to God?
Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.