Atomic Blonde (Rated B)
Cast: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Sofi Boutella
Genre: Action Thriller
Dwight's Rating: Not bad

Things come to an end. Be they good or bad, that's just how it is for most things in this life.
So, it was not unexpected that a surprising hot streak of fantastic summer movies would not go on much longer. That would be asking far too much, especially of a Hollywood content, intent and hell-bent on regurgitation.
Most summer seasons, we get one big blockbuster worthy of your lazy summer hours, then the following week, something quite lackluster. A week or two later, the incumbent box-office champ is finally knocked off that perch by another monster of a movie (and often about monsters!).
But this past July, moviegoers were treated to three consecutive weeks of amazingly fresh and different perspectives on the action movie genre: the hilariously cheeky, teen-focused "Spider-Man: Homecoming"; the deeply introspective and insightful "War for the Planet of the Apes"; and the visual and aural spectacle of "Dunkirk".
None of them are original ideas; sequels, remakes, retreads and reboots, for the most part. But each advances the state of its art, contributing -- along with some other releases earlier this season -- to a memorable summer, even if box-office numbers don't reflect the same.
A fourth weekend with another groundbreaking release was going to be a bit of a stretch, and probably far too great a bounty. And alas, the much-hyped "Atomic Blonde" fails to live up to the promises of its many enthusiastic-looking trailers and promotions, which had been suggesting that some sort of female James Bond had finally arrived. No, not this time!
Oscar-winner Charlize Theron stars as the sensual and savage Lorraine Broughton -- the most elite spy in MI6, an agent who's willing to use all of her lethal skills to stay alive during an impossible mission. With the Berlin Wall about to fall in 1989, she travels into the heart of the city to retrieve a priceless dossier and take down a ruthless espionage ring. Once there, she teams up with an embedded station chief to navigate her way through the deadliest game of spies.
Because it's about British spies, and set during the Cold War, the comparisons to James Bond are inevitable. It begs other spy-game comparisons as well, like "Mission: Impossible". And its story with a well-trained operative using amazing skills to get out of unbelievably tight jams will remind some of "John Wick". But for me, I think it's most like the "Jason Bourne" film series. Or at least, it's trying really hard to be.
The problem, though, is "Atomic Blonde" is seriously lacking the most positive traits of any and all of the movies to which it will be most frequently compared -- neither as sexy as the Bond flicks, or as amusing as "John Wick", and without the frenetic pacing of the J.J. Abrams- touched "Mission: Impossible" films. And mostly, it lacks the frenzied energy and chaotic passion that are constants in the original three "Jason Bourne" flicks.
What it does have are some very interesting action scenes. Car chases, fights -- they're all exceptionally violent and unspeakably bloody. But goshdarnit, they are thrilling and wonderfully choreographed and edited. It's quite something to see Theron as the ultimate badass, battling multiple men at the same time. The scenes are long, detailed, and painful, but exhilarating!
Also, we get a history lesson. Apparently Cold War-era cutlery and ammunition in Communist Europe were constructed out of such low-grade materials, that one could be shot and/or stabbed multiple times (in the face or chest, no less) and carry on with a fight-to-the-death for many more minutes, as if a only a mosquito had taken a bite on your leg. Either that, or perhaps '80s era spies were all from the Planet Krypton, and impervious to human weapons.
But I digress. These scenes are quite exciting. Unfortunately, in between them, we get a lot of Cold War-era "intrigue" that is almost anything but. It's lacking any serious oomph and sizzle.
Performances are relatively decent, especially the always-entertaining James McAvoy, who does his best to lighten the mood and add some humor.
Theron is okay. But "Cold War" best describes her demeanor. As such, there's an emotional disconnect that makes it hard to buy a supposed "love interest" that develops. It's difficult to believe her character actually cares about anyone. Even Bond and the amnesiac Bourne seem to be able to capable of love, even if only after a few minutes of meeting someone.
Nevertheless, the soundtrack is quite well put together, with '80s pop hits from the decade's European-invasion wave. Along with the action sequences, it's the only fun part of an otherwise icy movie that is fighting hard to be seen as stylish, but which will likely leave some feeling as cold as a winter's day in old East Berlin.
Meanwhile, there's one last hope for this summer movie season, as we enter this August dead zone. With three releases opening today, I'm hopeful about "Detroit"; much less enthused about "The Dark Tower". And "Kidnap", the Halle Berry flick that looks like it should have gone straight to Lifetime Movie Network, doesn't appear to be coming to local theaters as yet.
The parade of Hollywood hits and misses -- the one thing that may never end.

o Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of " Morning Blend" on Guardian Radio. He is a television producer and writer, and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.

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