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Jolt
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Angry woman is out for vengeance; language, violence.
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Jolt
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What's the Story?
In JOLT, Lindy (Kate Beckinsale) has intermittent explosive disorder, a condition marked by flying into uncontrollable rages for no reason. Coupled with her impulse control issues is a superhuman speed, strength, an absence of fear, and lack of interest in social norms. Her psychiatrist Dr. Munchin (Stanley Tucci) concocted a customized high-voltage vest so she can zap herself to quell the urge to snap innocent people's necks in the moment. Even so, the doctor still greets her with a loaded gun and handcuffs her to the wall during their weekly sessions, in case he unwittingly annoys her. He recommends she form close relationships with others to help overcome the difficulties of her solitary life. She sparks to charming accountant Justin (Jai Courtney), a blind date, and they have satisfying sex on their second meeting. Trouble is, he turns up murdered the next day. Detectives (Bobby Cannavale and Laverne Cox) find Lindy suspicious and her decision to do her own investigation, find the killer, and render her own brutal justice complicates matters and offers many opportunities for her to mercilessly beat up a variety of large men. Many characters turn out not to be who they seem to be, leaving an opening for a sequel and a franchise.
Is It Any Good?
The dramatic impact of Jolt is mightily diminished by the fact that the plot details are utterly incidental to a seen-it-before, predictable, repetitive, and at times boring narrative. The movie's real goal appears to be the maximum display of a small, attractive woman's ability to gleefully do harm to larger, physically strong men who mistakenly expect to demolish her in their violent encounters. She likes to occasionally blurt, "I want to crush your skull with my bare hands," and she means it. Over and over, she walks away triumphant from her bloody dirty work, smugly proud that once again she has used her super-human speed, agility, strength, and smarts to reduce strong men into whimpering bits. Rather than exemplifying women's empowerment, it actually demeans it by suggesting that women can play characters who are as absurd and off-putting as some usually played by men, not exactly a step toward progress for women in Hollywood.
The action is weighed down by heavy-handed contrivances. In one scene, Lindy is running through a hospital from the police but suddenly, when she finds herself in a newborn ward, inexplicably stops. The only reason can be to stage the ensuing scene in which she heartlessly flings innocent newborns to a police officer who is more concerned with saving babies flying dangerously through the air than shooting and capturing Lindy. While this may look like a representation of female empowerment at first glance, Lindy's fearlessness and superior strength come at the expense of an inability to experience love, companionship, and other human joys, suggesting that only women who are both a danger to society and permanently incapable of a self assured serenity can achieve self actualization in a world stacked them. All of this leads to a highly unsurprising "big reveal" featuring Susan Sarandon that does little to shock us but a lot to set up the sequel for a money-making franchise.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about some of the more ridiculous plot turns here. Which do you think seem the silliest or least believable?
Do you think this mocks people with actual disorders and anger management issues, or is it just meant to tell a kind of superpower story? Why?
Why are movies about vengeance so popular? What are some other movies you've seen with this theme?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: July 23, 2021
- Cast: Kate Beckinsale , Jai Courtney , Stanley Tucci , Bobby Cannavale , Laverne Cox , Susan Sarandon
- Director: Tanya Wexler
- Inclusion Information: Female actors, Latino actors, Transgender actors, Black actors, Bisexual actors
- Studio: Amazon
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Run time: 91 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: strong violence, sexual content, and language throughout
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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