Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Violent, mediocre secret agent movie is short on thrills.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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The Collective
What's the Story?
In THE COLLECTIVE, Sam (Lucas Till) sneaks into a house, takes down several masked gunmen, shoots his eventual target, and snaps a picture, all super-spy style. It's actually a test; Sam is being recruited as a member of "The Collective," an organization that operates apart from government bureaucracy to get things done. The leader, Liam (Don Johnson), immediately assigns Sam to a desk job, much to Sam's dismay. Meanwhile, a hacker-turned-whistleblower has been captured by a notorious human trafficker, Miro (Paul Ben-Victor), who plans to auction his captive to the highest bidder. Experienced agent Hugo (Tyrese Gibson) tries to get to the whistleblower but fails. While the villains have intel on the Collective, they don't have any on rookie Sam, so he's chosen to for the assignment. Hugo gives Sam a quick training session, which is interrupted by a squad of killers working for Miro. Hugo is stabbed, and Sam escapes. Liam tells Sam to come back in, but Sam realizes that he's the last chance to stop the auction and must go it alone.
Is It Any Good?
Despite some attempts to liven up this routine action movie, the result is stuck in mindless mediocrity, lazy short cuts, awkward performances, and inferior, incomprehensible fight footage. The idea of a secret spy organization sounds fun, but The Collective was probably a bit too ambitious for its budget, and it never feels legit. Johnson is well-cast as the cool, seasoned head of the organization, and Gibson (no doubt collecting only a tiny fraction of what he earned on Fast X) is believable as top agent Hugo. But Till -- who gets the majority of screen time -- is a pretty bland action hero. Ben-Victor tries to make Miro an interesting villain by playing him like a Vegas song-and-dance man, but it's finally just an odd choice. And, as Miro's henchwomen, Ruby Rose and (real-life pro wrestler) Mercedes Varnado are both quite stiff.
The movie's action is repetitive and hard to follow, and it's difficult to shake the feeling that the filmmakers are spending too much energy trying to cover up a minuscule budget. (There's one too many drone shots.) Head-shaking moments include Sam trying to infiltrate the auction wearing an earpiece -- he claims that it's a hearing aid! -- when he's supposed to be going solo. In the end, The Collective had potential, but it just doesn't hold together.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The Collective's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
What does Sam learn after his first real-world battle? Why does he seem to prefer a life of action to a desk job? Which would you prefer?
What is human trafficking, and why is it an issue? How can it be combatted
Why would there be a necessity for a "Collective"? Why is government perceived as being slow or ineffectual?
Did you notice any positive diverse representation in the movie? What about stereotypes?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 4, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : August 4, 2023
- Cast : Lucas Till , Tyrese Gibson , Don Johnson
- Director : Tom DeNucci
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Quiver Distribution
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 86 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : August 2, 2023
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