Armstrong (2017) User Reviews

Nothing Good Ever Happens Under a Bridge.

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 5 October 2017]

Lauren (Vicky Jeudy) has had a rough life and has decided to become an EMT so she can help people. This is her first night on the job as Eddie (Jason Antoon) her partner listens to late night crazy AM radio. Now we basically knows what happens as the opening needlessly shows us clips of all the action scenes in reverse chronological order with a time stamp, something that makes no sense to do. After an explosion, they run into Dave Armstrong (Shawn Parsons) a man with a weapon attached to his right arm spouting the same conspiracy theories as on the AM radio.

Not to give away too much, but instead of helping people, ex-junkie, I seriously need a Xanax, Lauren must step up and save the world. The film leads us to believe there are more films to come.

This is a low budget Sc-fi film which talks place mostly in an EM van and under a bridge. It had some special effects which I suspect was all CG except for the plastic arm with lights. The characters were not lovable and I didn't find myself rooting for them as much as the nuclear explosions and earthquakes so I could see some real action. Could have been worse. The film needed a name actor and better dialogue.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity

Amateur theatre at best.

[brw-54323 · 3/10 · 4 October 2017]

I'm not quite sure how the other reviewers got to the scores they did on this movie. I managed about 15 minutes before the acting became so painfully bad that I had to turn the movie off.

On paper it has a really interesting and potentially great story line and I get it's budget however that doesn't mean to say it has to be low quality.

The first thing I take issue with is the rookie EMT. Would somebody with as nervous disposition as hers really be allowed out on the streets to care for the public. I get that she is a recovering drug user but surely she would need to be somewhat more recovered to take on this job? She was like a rabbit caught in the headlights mumbling along repeating orders and acting like she never had any training.

The angry veteran was just as bad. I can see this kind of character fitting in with a rookie cop veteran cop scenario. Why is the guy so angry and why does he take it out on the new girl?

Now we come to the superhero. This guys acting was pretty rigid and he lacked charisma in epic proportions. Now I'm sure if I gave this film a chance it may prove to be something semi worthwhile however if it fails to grab me in the first 20 minutes then I don't see why I should waste my time. With a bigger budget and better acting this movie could be really good, it just takes itself way to seriously.

Ok Bad but.......

[soriasv · 5/10 · 23 March 2020]

I watched the whole thing. Don't know what to say. Definitely could and should have been better.

Cheap and boring.

[nerevar59 · 1/10 · 26 July 2018]

I couldn't take the really bad acting, the cheap effects, the strange story, and the overall look to the film. It sounded interesting, yet failed to deliver.

not that good .

[surfisfun · 3 October 2017]

some bad lines and characters reactions .

would have been much better as a 30min short as it is.

bad direction.

very low budget lacking locations and actors.

cinematography so so.

The story would require a re write and a much bigger budget.

The main actress was OK.

worth 5.4 max.

Sorry, couldn't finish this

[KneelB4me · 2/10 · 25 January 2021]

Some people shouldn't make movies. This movie looks like it woulda been a good sci-fi flick in the right hands, but not these hands. I assume this was supposed to be an action flick, but as another reviewer said, they couldn't decide which way to go. Let me help you - the scene where the hero goes to stop the second explosion? You shoulda followed the action hero, not stayed with the two paramedics yammering... Reluctant pass...

Lots of shoot them up and chase scenes.

[Bernie4444 · 5/10 · 9 October 2023]

It is Lauren's first night as an EMT. Racing to an emergency. The EMT team runs into a man. Turns out he is in the process of thwarting an evil cabal (the fifth sun) from dispatching millions of people and bringing the end of the world.

Naturedly they cannot help themselves support his reckless cause. So, the mild-mannered EMTs enjoy the perks of being shot at, chased, and maybe worse.

We go along for the ride and kibitz out loud. Will they survive for the sequel?

The acting was good. However, you have to stretch your imagination that all this action can take place and still be under the radar of the authorities.

Boring action movie: No longer an oxymoron

[KarmaLysing · 3/10 · 1 January 2021]

This is what happens when a director can't decide whether to make an action movie or a morality tale, and this waste of an hour-and-a-half of your life manages to fail miserably at both.

Surprising Sci-Fi Indie

[PBDogs · 9/10 · 25 September 2017]

I was surprised when I saw this film. Good mix of drama and character development with some cool action sequences and nice CGI that felt natural within the story as opposed to tacked on for no reason. Good performances by the cast. I wonder what the budget was because the film looked great.

I was impressed though. Vicky Jeudy does a nice job as rookie EMT who suffers from a drug past. And the always entertaining Jason Antoon as her partner teaches her the ropes until their night gets turned upside down and forever changed.

Check it out. Better than most things you scroll through on Netflix/iTunes and say " Who the hell made this movie?"

B+ and a Thumbs Up!

It's...okay

[aidanalderdice · 6/10 · 3 October 2017]

I can forgive the low budget and how the writing gets pretty cliché, considering it's a *very* indie movie. But the acting really holds it back, unfortunately. There's potential, the characters are fairly fleshed out and the direction is competent enough, but it's really difficult to get immersed when you're constantly aware that everyone is reading off a script. Armstrong and the rookie EMT are decent, but everyone else is pretty painful to watch. It's far from the worst thing I've ever seen, but it definitely doesn't deserve anything above a 6/10.

Don't let the other reviews get your hopes up.

A pleasant surprise

[alyssonrowan · 8/10 · 12 February 2018]

I started watching with no real hope for this film. While it is not the best movie out there by a long shot, it kept me entertained for the evening. The action is a bit slow in places, but it is still worth the wait.

The characters are, perhaps, somwhat clichéd - the rookie EMT, the sour veteran EMT and an injured super-hero - but this doesn't detract from the telling of the story.

The SFX and prosthetics were well realised and nothing was glaringly out of place within the storyline. Indeed, the entire movie requires little effort to enable the suspension of disbelief, and nothing in the presentation really damages that.

Sadly, the scene at the end, while opening the way for a sequel, has virtually no explanation - it just IS.

Too good to get overlooked.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 23 September 2017]

Armstrong was a great film for me to watch because I had incredibly low expectations for the picture and in every way the movie exceeded them. You see, I generally dislike action films…and I actually put off watching it when I realized that. While it is a relatively low- budget film and features lesser-known actors, the writer- director team of Kerry Carlock and Nicholas Lund-Ulrich managed to make the absolute most out of what they had. By the time the film was ending…it actually left me wanting to see a sequel…and there is plenty of room for that. So, if I'd give this picture an A, it is pretty special!

The story is set in Los Angeles late at night. It's shot in accelerated real time—taking place over perhaps four or five hours. Lauren (Vicky Jeudy) is about to begin her very first shift as an EMT and she's incredibly nervous…and it's made much worse because she is in recovery for substance abuse. He sponsor talks her through her nervousness but neither had any idea just how stressful this night was about to become. As for her new partner, Eddie (Jason Antoon), he's a cynical and abrasive guy…though deep down he seems like a decent guy through the course of the film.

So what happens to the pair? Well, they stumble into some sort of war…a war you can only assume consists of warriors from some other time or, perhaps, planet. Their weapons are very futuristic and soon Lauren and Eddie find they are isolated…as some sort of electro-magnetic pulse has made their phones and radio inoperable. The other problems are that they aren't sure who are the good guys and who are the bad…and lots of people start shooting at them!

I could easily say more but really don't want to spoil the film for you. Suffice to say that in addition to the action and excellent story, these actors really knock it out of the park, so to speak. Vicky Jeudy is great as a very normal, albeit screwed up, sort of person…and I loved Jason Antoon as Eddie. He was very memorable as well. Overall, a really well made film that I hope get seen widely. It's just too enjoyable and intelligently made to be missed.

Fun Indie Sci-Fi

[losttruant · 8/10 · 18 June 2018]

An action-packed storyline and an excellent cast make this a great movie.

This was quite very good.

[george-798-42856 · 8/10 · 17 April 2018]

This is one those rear B movies is actually well. The acting was much more convincing then most I watch, and was so well done that I completely lost myself in the characters and story.

Fresh ideas

[tomul · 10/10 · 28 August 2018]

Enjoyed this very much - new ideas with an interesting approach. Looking forward to new releases by these people.

Very good!

tomul

Good sci-fi conspiracy adventure

[vchimpanzee · 17 December 2019]

Whatever the truth is, we are led on an exciting and dangerous adventure, with lots more people (or not people?) resembling "Star Wars" cast members, in which many people apparently die (though we don't get to know most of them) and buildings get blown up. You just don't know what will happen next or if things will get even worse. Maybe, just maybe it will end with the city being safe.

This isn't an extraordinary movie, but more like a two-part TV episode. Sometimes there is action, and sometimes there is quiet conversation where we get to know the people. We see flashbacks with inferior picture quality and sound. That's how we know they're flashbacks.

Armstrong is the standout character here. He is strong and intelligent and capable. Shawn Parsons does a good job.

Lauren is not one of these strong women seen in so many movies and TV series like this. But she does call on what strength she has. And, yes, that does mean what you think it means, but does she go through with it? She is good at her job and even doing things that are not her job. Just once she really gets excited because she accomplished something important. As for whether Vicky Jeudy, who I am not familiar with, does a good job, of course good acting can include lack of confidence, and I think that's what happens here.

Eddie is a regular guy who gets called on in this case to do more than a regular guy does. He has a mouth on him. The sound went out a lot, mostly when he was talking. Jason Antoon does a good job.

Kevin Pollak is the only actor here I ever heard of. And he does the wacko radio host brilliantly.

Is this wholesome family viewing? Not really, though it's not particularly bloody. I already mentioned language, but that problem is easily solved on broadcast TV.

I don't usually watch movies or TV series like this, but sometimes I get rewarded. Here, I'm not so sure.

Is it worth seeing? Certainly, if you like this sort of thing.