Athena Review: Looks Cool, But Lacks Soul

Athena is a cold spectacle we don't emphasise with, observes Mayur Sanap.

Athena opens with a man of Algerian descent announcing at a police station that his younger brother, just 13 years old, has died due to police brutality.

This man is a soldier in the French army.

Before we know it, someone from the inflamed crowd hurls a Molotov cocktail at the police, then stealing their guns before vamoosing in a police van.

This sets the ball rolling for mayhem and madness for the next 90 minutes in this new French film.

Director Romain Gavras presents the tale of a French suburban insurgency following a horrific instance of police brutality.

While fictional, all of this feels uncannily familiar.

The opening sequence that lasts roughly 10 minutes -- all in a single, continuous shot -- is terrific.

What ensues is a bevy of angry mobsters rallying around the city, screaming at each other and resorting to violence.

It sets the stage for reckless savagery of these characters, which leads to kidnapping and terrorism and then veers off to the 'violence creates violence' turf, which is similar to another French film-maker Gaspar Noe's work.

The long takes remain a recurring feature in the film.

Athena is yet another example of how Netflix gives film-makers total leeway to go bonkers with their creativity. But what's good for the artistes do not always turn in favour for the streamer.

As we assume Athena to be a solid socio-political thriller, it quickly turns into a show reel for the director's penchant for striking aesthetics.

Gavras, whose prior film-making experience comes from directing edgy music videos and shorts, is hell-bent on how the film should look, rather than how it should have felt.

His vision, however zealous, begins to feel too indulgent.

The viewers are exposed to one energetic set piece after another without proving any real meaning or depth to proceedings.

We see an array of long shots, gun flares, steadicam shots, drone shots... all of which is used excessively and frequently without serving any real purpose except for just looking... cool?

Sure, the film is technically sound; the score and camerawork being two major standouts.

But these aspects don't hold water due to lack of a compelling story.

As the film progresses, the writing becomes just too convenient and increasingly scattershot.

Despite a solid premise, the plot barely scratches the surface to make you feel about the characters or their life-in-peril surroundings.

It also does not help how the film resorts to a hollow and dramatised take on the conflict between marginal communities following a gruesome incident involving the police and a young child.

It takes no real stand and has dubious moral grounds, something that's exemplified in the rather dissatisfying final twist.

The film's lofty ambitions of achieving gritty realism fall short due to bush-league plot writing and ropy character development.

Does the film work as enjoyable action romp? Sure.

But that's certainly not enough for a film with such formidable premise.

Despite constant rounds of fire on screen, the film is a cold spectacle we don’t emphasise with.

Had its potential been maximised, this would have resulted in a very compelling affair.

Too bad, Athena has only adrenaline to offer.

Athena streams on Netflix.