The Last Movie I Saw

I guess it must be a truism that if you approach something with really low expectations, then you can't be disappointed. Last Saturday, I had some time to kill, and went to see The Losers, directed by Sylvain White. I'd seen a couple of ads on TV for the film, but they hadn't really whetted my appetite to see it; mainly, I decided to go because it was only about ninety minutes long and I didn't have anything else to do, nor any more appealing options at the cineplex (that seems to happen a lot lately). I am not familiar with the work of the director, or any of the actors, except Zoe Zaldana, who I remember from the last Star Trek movie. So, all I was hoping for was some easy entertainment (emphasis on the entertainment part)... which is exactly what I got . This might be one of the most comic-booky movies I ever recall seeing. The story unfolds in episodes roughly equivalent in length (and similarly peppered with bursts of action) to the 10-12 page chapters of an old Marvel anthology title (yes, I know The Losers are a DC franchise-- though when I was a kid, the title featured a group of World War II soldiers). The story was kind of simple, but told with some verve and adhering to some rather old-fashioned standards. Not the least of these was painting the good guys as actual good guys, with consciences and a determination to do the right thing. That was kind of refreshing. I was especially struck by how quickly I could differentiate between the five main characters, since in a lot of these group movies they all seem more or less interchangeable. So all-in-all, a somewhat unexpected good time. The thing ends with a narrative promise of a sequel (the bad guy gets away), for which my expectations will undoubtedly be higher: I hope that's not the kiss of death.