The 355 4K Ultra HD Review

THE MOVIE — 2¼/5

Plot Synopsis: CIA agent Mason “Mace” Brown (JESSICA CHASTAIN) joins forces with a rival German agent (DIANE KRUGER), a cutting-edge computer specialist (LUPITA NYONG’O) and a Colombian psychologist (PENÉLOPE CRUZ) when a top-secret weapon falls into the hands of a group of mercenaries. Together, the four women embark on a breakneck mission to save the world while staying one step ahead of a mysterious figure who’s tracking their every move.

Quick Hit Review: The 355 is a movie which has a familiar plot (thinking Casino Royale mixed with one of the Mission: Impossible films) with women kicking butt. The movie also gave me the vibe of a Bourne movie with the globe-trotting element and even the score (by Tom Holkenborg a.k.a. Junkie XL) reminded me of that franchise. However, when it was all said and done, I found the movie to be rather bland and forgettable despite some okay stunt work and chase sequences. Everything else from the thin plot, the generic direction to the characters was lackluster.

Even having a few talented actresses didn’t help as none of them really had much chemistry and only Jessica Chastain and Diane Kruger’s characters getting any sort of background; the others development was skin-deep. And it’s not that any of them gave poor performances or gave it their all, but by the end I wasn’t heavily invested in any of them.

The movie was co-scripted, alongside Theresa Rebeck (story writer behind 2004’s Catwoman…), and directed by Simon Kinberg whose best known for writing a few of the X-Men movies as well as xXx: State of the Union (yikes), also previously helmed X-Men: Dark Phoenix which for me was one of the lesser in that franchise, albeit not as bad as X-Men: The Last Stand (which he wrote). The 355 was only his second feature and considering the film’s lackluster box office ($26M worldwide against a reported $75M budget), it’s doubtful he’ll get a third chance.

There’s really absolutely nothing that stands out with The 355, and if it weren’t for a cast with a few recognizable names, this is one that could’ve been dumped as a direct-to-video release. That said, it’s not terrible or even all that bad per se, this is one that can be viewed later on Peacock, but don’t bother renting it.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 2½/5

This release does not come with a slip cover but there is a Digital HD digital code.

Deleted Scenes (6:20) — There are only two scenes, one very long (nearly 6 minutes involving Edgar Ramirez and Penelope Cruz) and another that’s inconsequential to the story.

Chasing Through Paris (4:58) is a breakdown of shooting the chase sequence with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews by the cast and crew.

Action That Hurts (5:27) looks at another chase sequence and the stunt work involved.

Reconstructing Marrakesh (5:34) — This featurette delves into how the Marrakesh sequence was done on a backstage since they could not shoot in Morocco.

Chaos at the City of Dreams (3:51) — Here we get another look at an action scene, this at the hotel.

VFX Breakdowns (5:00) — We get to watch some of the visual effects work on a few scenes. Just a swipe from the plate to effects.

VIDEO – 4¾/5

AUDIO – 4½/5

OVERALL – 2¾/5

The 355 is a movie that feels awfully familiar from beginning to end and although I can respect some of the action scenes and stunt work, there’s really not very much here that was entertaining with a thin plot and characters. It’s no wonder why this one was ignored in theaters.