By now the “‘Die Laborious’ on a”-style film is mainly its personal style. John McTiernan’s legendary 1988 actioner spawned extra imitators than maybe any film in Hollywood historical past. Many motion followers know, as an example, that “Pace” is basically “Die Laborious on a bus,” and its follow-up, “Pace 2: Cruise Management,” actually was purported to be “Die Laborious 3” earlier than its script was rejected in favor of the “Die Laborious with a Vengeance” screenplay. “Cliffhanger” is “Die Laborious” on a mountain, “Air Pressure One” is “Die Laborious” on a aircraft. Heck, even right now we’re seeing the film reproduced within the type of Netflix thriller “Carry-On,” a Christmas motion film which is basically simply “Die Laborious 2” with Taron Edgerton and Jason Bateman.
Whereas many of those imitators are glorious motion films in their very own proper, the “Die Laborious” formulation does not all the time produce such high quality. Take “Aftermath,” a brand new film starring Dylan Sprouse which is mainly “Die Laborious” on a bridge … however dangerous. The movie, from Patrick Lussier, the man that co-wrote “Terminator Genisys,” sees Dylan Sprouse’s ex-Military Ranger do his finest John McClane impression as he tries to save lots of his sister and different hostages from a gaggle of ex-military contractors and their deranged chief who’ve trapped the group on Boston’s Tobin Bridge.
The movie additionally stars Mason Gooding, Cuba Gooding Jr.’s son and one of many co-leads of the fashionable and candy slasher rom-com “Coronary heart Eyes,” who performs the villain in “Aftermath.” Sadly, early reactions to the movie aren’t all that optimistic, however then, why fear about whether or not individuals like your film so long as they’re streaming it? That is precisely what’s occurred with “Aftermath,” as Netflix subscribers have despatched this newest “Die Laborious” imitator straight to the highest of the most-watched movie chart.
Aftermath battles its approach to the highest of the Netflix charts
“Aftermath” hit Netflix on February 10, 2025 and instantly began making a run up the charts. Based on FlixPatrol, a web site that tracks streaming viewership figures throughout the varied platforms, “Aftermath” moved into the quantity two spot in america on February 11 earlier than hitting primary the next day. Not dangerous for a film that does not have a single High Critic evaluate on Rotten Tomatoes.
However that is not the whole story. “Aftermath” can be faring effectively in a handful of different nations, hitting primary in Australia, Canada, Malta, New Zealand, and the UK on February 12, 2025. What’s extra, it really debuted within the charts at primary in Australia and New Zealand and appears set to take the highest spot in Eire, the place it sits at quantity two on the time of this writing.
Whether or not “Aftermath” will make its approach onto the charts in different nations stays to be seen. However no matter whether or not you assume we would have liked a brand new streaming “Die Laborious” imitator simply weeks after “Carry-On” gave us the 2024 model of “Die Laborious 2,” there is not any denying this can be a good little streaming bump for the Dylan Sprouse-led actioner. Sadly for Sprouse, his movie is not charting in sufficient nations for it to hit the worldwide High 10 simply but, however maybe that might change because the week performs out.
Aftermath’s Netflix dominance faces competitors and horrible critiques
On the time of writing, there are not any High Critic critiques for Aftermath obtainable on Rotten Tomatoes. That is a nasty check in and of itself, however issues get even worse if we check out the viewers critiques. “It is actually dangerous, like actually dangerous,” writes one viewer, whereas one other labelled the movie “complicated, convoluted, faux, ridiculous, poorly acted and missing funding in central characters.” In equity, not each viewers member’s take was as derisive. The truth is, there are a couple of three and four-star critiques for “Aftermath” on Rotten Tomatoes, with one viewers reviewer writing, “Actually offers that 80s motion film vibe,” whereas one other described the movie as a “nice motion film that jogged my memory a whole lot of the Die Laborious collection” — although another person did describe the movie as “visible most cancers,” which is a little bit of a disgrace.
So, we flip to social media, the place viewers reactions are additionally beginning to pile up. Sadly, issues do not look too good for “Aftermath” right here, both, with customers decrying the CGI as “horrible” and providing this perception: “This #Aftermath film is giving AI asf.” That mentioned, there are a couple of fireplace emojis to talk of within the reactions, so not everyone felt the identical. In the end, a very powerful and related response got here from one other consumer who requested the urgent query, “Which Sprouse twin on this ‘Aftermath’ film on Netflix?”
In the meantime, to be able to maintain onto its primary place, “Aftermath” must fend off Amy Schumer’s new comedy “Kinda Pregnant,” which topped the Netflix charts earlier than being dethroned by Dylan Sprouse. Schumer is now quantity two in america, but when increasingly individuals begin catching on to that indisputable fact that “Aftermath” is “giving AI asf,” she would possibly simply have the ability to retake the highest spot. Elsewhere, Cameron Diaz’s first movie in 11 years, “Again in Motion” is the Netflix film that refuses to die. After sustaining a spot on the charts for 3 weeks, the movie has jumped three areas to retake quantity six within the U.S., suggesting that it might be making one other run and organising the last word battle between Diaz and that one Sprouse twin.
