Summary
With big-name film franchises populatingJason Momoa’s acting catalog, it can be easy to miss out on some of the actor’s standalone gems, which has become the case of a 2018 action thriller he helmed. Momoa has a history of doing it big in his career, securing early opportunities in popular TV titles likeBaywatch(1999-2001),Stargate: Atlantis(2005-2009), and, later,Game of Thrones(2011-2012). Because of these notable roles,Momoa’s film careerthroughout the 2000s largely fell through the cracks. Fortunately, Momoa’s efforts asGoT’sKhal Drogo shot him into another level of stardom, occasioning more pronounced movie breaks.
Four years afterGoT, Momoa began a tour of appearing in massive franchise roles, including DC’s Aquaman,Dune’sDuncan Idaho, andFast & Furious’Dante. That said, just as his big early career stints did,Momoa’s franchise roles have overshadowed some of the actor’s more modest efforts, even though they hold great value. This sentiment is especially true for a 2018 action thriller he starred in, which boasts a 77%Rotten Tomatoescritical score but has tumbled under the radar due in part to the hype, expectation, and delivery of the franchise movies the actor appeared in around the same time.
Jason Momoa: Net Worth, Age, Height & Everything You Need To Know About The Aquaman Actor
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Jason Momoa’s Braven Is Probably His Best Non-Franchise Action Movie
Both Critics And Audiences Agree
On top of entertainment quality,Bravenis also Momoa’s highest-rated non-franchise action film by RT critics, after films such asBullet to the HeadandOnce Upon a Time in Venice.
BetweenJustice LeagueandAquaman,Lin Oeding’s directorial debut,Braven,was released with Momoa in the leading role.Bravenfeatures Momoa as logging company owner Joe Braven, who finds himself, along with his father and daughter, in a stand-off with a gang of drug traffickers during what was supposed to be a quiet weekend at the family’s hunting cabin. Retaining a 77% critical approval rating and a higher approval rating of 79% with audiences,Bravenis possibly one of Momoa’s best action movies outside a franchise.
Bravenwas released under Jason Momoa’s production banner, Pride of Gypsies.
On Rotten Tomatoes,critics and audiences characterizeBravenas a solid, though somewhat generic, action film. Viewers cite its cast, which includes Garret Dillahunt, Jill Wagner, and Stephen Lang, the setting’s striking location, and its justice-seeking action as strengths that overcome some of its more obvious flaws. In the words ofSlashfilm’s Chris Evangelista,“Braven is not high-art, but gosh almighty is it highly entertaining.“On top of entertainment quality,Bravenis also Momoa’s highest-rated non-franchise action film by RT critics, after films such asBullet to the HeadandOnce Upon a Time in Venice.
Braven Is Secretly A Better Version Of Momoa’s Netflix Movie 3 Years Later
Braven Does Action With A Family-Oriented Angle Better Than Sweet Girl
Concerning appeal,Bravenalso surpasses a more recent non-franchise action movie starring Momoa - 2021’sSweet Girl. The film, distributed by Netflix and featuring Momoa in his most popular career era, had a better fighting chance of catching viewers' attention thanBravenever did. Regardless,Sweet Girlpaled in comparison and ultimately received poor RT ratings of 23% with critics and 49% with audiences.Sweet Girl’spremise, which follows a family man named Ray (Momoa) seeking life-endangering answers from a pharmaceutical company that pulled a potentially life-saving cancer remedy from the market before his wife’s death, failed to sway viewers.
Whereas inBraven, Joe Braven’s fight for and alongside his father and daughter is engrossing,Ray’s family-oriented plight inSweet Girlis bogged down by complications viewers can not get down with.Sweet Girl’shuge plot twistand unsatisfying ending cheapen the film enough to warrant it flying under the radar of better Momoa films.Braven’sfamily-angled action thriller is a cut above and, as such, it deserves to be held in higher regard not only toSweet Girlbut a few of Jason Momoa’s more popular action flicks.
StreamBravenon Prime Video and Pluto TV.
Braven
Cast
Braven is a 2018 action thriller directed by Lin Oeding. Jason Momoa stars as Joe Braven, a logger who must protect his family from a dangerous group of drug runners at their remote mountain cabin. As tensions escalate, Joe’s survival instincts are put to the ultimate test.
