Hypnotic

This is what happens when a less-talented director tries to make a Christopher Nolan movie.

At times I was reminded of the 2015 thriller Solace, in which Anthony Hopkins helped the FBI by functioning as a sort of psychic satnav. Somehow, this is even sillier.

As it is, even with the short running time, there are plenty of opportunities to notice the lack of spark between Affleck and Braga, the grating bombast of the soundtrack and the paltry special effects.

It’s sloppily executed, without a hint of dramatic tension.

The mood is gun-happy and conspiracy-minded, but the real killer is what feels like 80 percent of the running time being spent with Affleck and co-stars standing in rooms explaining the plot.

As a film fan, you have to respect the continued indie spirit with which Rodriguez works... but the script and performances in “Hypnotic” are too laughably absurd to take seriously.

A poorly-written attempt at cerebral science fiction that collapses under the weight of its own stupidity.

It doesn’t even lean into its absurdity, blowing an opportunity to pitch a tent in Campville and inspire a few hoots.

You can only chip away at reality so far until everything in 'Hypnotic' starts to feel sketched and feckless. Any type of resolution reads as either disingenuous or completely unearned, as viewers were never invested in the journeys in the first place.

At one point, [Diana] tells Rourke that “pain keeps the mind awake” — and, while the excruciating script doesn’t seem to have that effect on Affleck, it’s hard not to find yourself a little enlivened by Hypnotic’s sheer absurdity.