Lexi Alexander’s Absolute Dominion is part Bloodsport, part Hunger Games – as combatants fight for theological and world supremacy.
Writer/Director Lexi Alexander has always been a provocateur. Green Street Hooligans is a fight film like no other – getting to the ground level and asking you to care for a group of Soccer Hooligans. Punisher War Zone is a wild hyper violent actioner that manages to be both satire and homage to both iconic comic character and 80s action films. It makes sense that Absolute Dominion is both a straight-ahead martial arts competition picture mixed a mediation on global politics and religion.
After a Social Media Commentator’s (Patton Oswalt) Post Go Viral during WW3 – A Decades Long Fighting Competition is borne. Countries best Fighters go head-to-head in Absolute Dominion – to see which country will hold political, theological hold over everyone. Thus, determining peace around the world. After twenty years the final fighters are gathering for the finale – including the final wild card entries. Through this a fighter emerges (Désiré Mia) begins to rise through the ranks – who poses a threat with his skills and what he stands for (science/logical first and religious freedom for all).
Absolute Dominion’s ideas more than its fights are arresting. The concept isn’t a new one of games as war (see: Norman Jewison’s cult classic Roller Ball) but Alexander’s passionate approach elevates it. Part of what lowers the “fight film” is the drama between the fight scenes but here the concepts and drama is actually the better part of the film. The socio-commentary and discussions of not just religion but also what learning of a combat skillset means is the kind of metatextual commentary that Alexander brings to the film. One wishes that the fight scenes matched these scenes of contemplation with more brutality and impact. Though to see the care that Alexander brings to the down time one can forgive the film this.
One wishes that the film had a bigger budget as some of the VFX work looks like it could use more rendering time, and the fight/competitions lack the crows one would expect for this kind of spectator event. Those minor complaints aside the film is an arresting B-Movie with some truly great A-Movie ideas at its core. Absolute Dominion like any martial art is as much about the physical as it is about the mental. Writer/Director Lexi Alexander understands this better than most directors of Western Marital Arts film and gives us one a rare treat one that is contemplative with its ideas over action dramaturgy.
Absolute Dominion is in theaters and on Digital starting May 9th
Lexi Alexander’s Absolute Dominion is part Bloodsport, part Hunger Games – as combatants fight for theological and world supremacy.
Writer/Director Lexi Alexander has always been a provocateur. Green Street Hooligans is a fight film like no other – getting to the ground level and asking you to care for a group of Soccer Hooligans. Punisher War Zone is a wild hyper violent actioner that manages to be both satire and homage to both iconic comic character and 80s action films. It makes sense that Absolute Dominion is both a straight-ahead martial arts competition picture mixed a mediation on global politics and religion.
After a Social Media Commentator’s (Patton Oswalt) Post Go Viral during WW3 – A Decades Long Fighting Competition is borne. Countries best Fighters go head-to-head in Absolute Dominion – to see which country will hold political, theological hold over everyone. Thus, determining peace around the world. After twenty years the final fighters are gathering for the finale – including the final wild card entries. Through this a fighter emerges (Désiré Mia) begins to rise through the ranks – who poses a threat with his skills and what he stands for (science/logical first and religious freedom for all).
Absolute Dominion’s ideas more than its fights are arresting. The concept isn’t a new one of games as war (see: Norman Jewison’s cult classic Roller Ball) but Alexander’s passionate approach elevates it. Part of what lowers the “fight film” is the drama between the fight scenes but here the concepts and drama is actually the better part of the film. The socio-commentary and discussions of not just religion but also what learning of a combat skillset means is the kind of metatextual commentary that Alexander brings to the film. One wishes that the fight scenes matched these scenes of contemplation with more brutality and impact. Though to see the care that Alexander brings to the down time one can forgive the film this.
One wishes that the film had a bigger budget as some of the VFX work looks like it could use more rendering time, and the fight/competitions lack the crows one would expect for this kind of spectator event. Those minor complaints aside the film is an arresting B-Movie with some truly great A-Movie ideas at its core. Absolute Dominion like any martial art is as much about the physical as it is about the mental. Writer/Director Lexi Alexander understands this better than most directors of Western Marital Arts film and gives us one a rare treat one that is contemplative with its ideas over action dramaturgy.
Absolute Dominion is in theaters and on Digital starting May 9th
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