Jarhead 2: Field of Fire

The first “Jarhead” movie was released in 2005, starred Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, and Lucas Black, and was set in Saudi Arabia during pre-Desert Storm times. 9 years later, “Jarhead 2: Field of Fire” is released, stars lesser known actors (Josh Kelley and Stephen Lang), and is set in a Taliban-controlled territory in Afghanistan. The movies revolves around Corporal Merrimette (Kelley) and his unit of Navy SEALS that are on a resupply mission. However, things go wrong and their missions changes to escorting a mysterious woman out of the country. Who is this mysterious woman and why is her escape so important? You’re going to have to watch the movie to find out.

I was excited when I heard I was going to review “Jarhead 2: Field of Fire,” but that thought was short-lived after the first couple minutes of the movie. I was a huge fan of the first movie and had high hopes for the sequel, but maybe I set the bar too high when I watched this movie. The acting ranged from mediocre to average, but some of the actors felt so awkward and forced. Also, the overall dialogue felt unnatural and pointless. To make matters worse, the plot was predictable and the pacing was sluggish for a majority of the movie. They seemed to take forever to get to the point for a 2 hour movie.

On the bright side, the picture quality was impressive and the sound effects sounded great. The shootouts helped wake me up the first couple of times, but felt routine halfway through the movie. The major elements lacking in this movie from the original were the raw emotion for the situation, the right movie length, and the overall content that made up the plot. There are a lot of other great movies out there that are more worth your time. I would watch the original “Jarhead” a 100 times before I watch “Jarhead 2: Field of Fire” ever again. For those reasons, I am giving this movie a “D.”