Congratulations, You’ve Just Been Erased

 

Full Disclosure Notice:  Warner Bros. sent me this blu-ray for free so I could review it. 

 

In another measure of full disclosure, I feel like it is also important to mention I have never seen the original Eraser movie.  I thought about watching before checking out Eraser: Reborn, but then realized a fresh perspective from someone who is not tainted by seeing the original may be more interesting than a review that just a point by point comparison of the two.

 

Not only have I not seen the original, I barely remember it ever existed.  I think I only remember the name because it was always one of those movies that seemed to be on free weekend previews for premium cable channels.  Honestly, based on the name alone, I for some reason always thought it was a sci-fi movie (let us be honest, a sci-fi movie where someone goes around erasing people sounds pretty cool).  Then, when I first started and saw that a character loading up on guns (not really the best way to open a movie based on recent events), I then I began to think it was some sort of The Punisher type vigilante movie.  Wrong on both accords.

 

That character who was packing an entire arsenal to himself is actually a U.S. Marshall played by Dominic Sherwood (Shadowhunters) who is basically the only person in the film I recognized (sorry fans of the original, no Arnold cameo).  I am currently halfway through a re-watch of Justified and even fresh in my mind I do not remember Raylan Givens needing more than one gun at a time.  Nor did he engage in much hand to hand combat except for the time he got in a bar fight that resulted in him losing his iconic hat.  I think Sherwood gets in more fights in a single movie that Rayan got in during his six seasons.

 

So Eraser: Reborn is definitely an action movie, and an action movie in the vein of those that were made when the original was released in 1996 or even a decade earlier.  Watching the movie got me thinking of The Big Picture podcast which coined a phase “Garbage Crime.”  These are movies that will not be winning any awards, or light up the Tomato Meter, but are just light dumb crime movies that you watch when you have nothing better to watch and tired of searching.  Not necessarily a derogatory term but certainly not the most glowing nickname.  They are probably made even better if you have a buddy who also likes these types of movie to watch with.

 

Eraser: Reborn certainly fit the bill.  Sherwood is no Arnold nor is he Raylan because the movie goes over the top even though budget restraints keeps them from really going as big as the writer and director wants to go.  There is a pretty absurd action sequence with a moving shipping container and there is one of the wildest safe house in film history, quite literally.  Speaking of budgetary restraints, this movie looks like it could have been a TNT show during the ’10.  Maybe an Eraser show would fit into other current dadcore shows that Prime Video pumps out these days like Bosche and Reacher.  Someone who “erases” a new person every week sounds like a pretty good idea for a television show even without the big twists the movie has.  It already has a great catchphrase to use every week: “Congratulations, you’ve just been erased.”

 

Eraser: Reborn is available today on DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital.  Or you could just wait until this fall when it is scheduled to hit HBO Max.  Just do not ask me why we could watch The Batman on HBO Max after 45 days but have to wait two to three times as long for a straight DVD movie.  Really, why even make straight to DVD movies anymore?  Just put them straight on streaming.