Jolt is Low Voltage Atomic Blonde with Fab Performance from Kate Beckinsale

What would you do if had an impulsive urge to kick a little butt every time someone irritated you?  Come on, we have all fantasized about being ‘that’ person.  Question is, would we actually act on it if given the opportunity or would we seek a treatment to curb the sensation in the same manner a alcoholic or drug addict would runt to rehab.  Lindy (Kate Beckinsale) is totally that chick.  She is an ordinary person with conditional that makes her extraordinary.  She possesses an intermittent explosive disorder that makes her prone to violent outbursts.  think of the prowess and skill of Beckinsale if crossed with ‘The Hulk‘ or ‘Atomic Blonde.’

I’m always down for a good action-adventure flick with women starring and at the helm.  It goes without saying that Tanya Wexler has a keen eye for tacking slightly off kilter screenplays like “Buffaloed” and I truly have enjoyed her work in the past.   And, Kate Beckinsale can straddle that line between a period frock and high intense action-adventure like no one else.  However, I am sad to report that this time it doesn’t quite come together for JOLT.

There are dozens of great fighting sequences shot in slo-mo with glossy high-tech cinematography to round it all out, but at the end of the day it just felt like an Atomic Blonde knock off with a lot more humor infused throughout thanks to Stanley Tucci (Dr. Munchin), Laverne Cox (Detective Nevin) and Bobby Cannavale (Detective Vicars).  Wexler creates some great shots like Lindy walking in an upside down shot reflecting her upside down world after the murder of her brief, but attentive lover Justin (Jai Courtney).

Having said all of that, I did resonate with the complication of letting someone see the real you for fear of judgement, the betrayal of someone you have given your heart to and the need to just been seen like everyone else.  Kudos to Scott Wascha for addressing those issues for the brief moment of time they were revealed.

However, JOLT was a little on the low wattage side with some great acting performances and kitchy fun in the form of Kate Beckinsale.