As an actioner, Aftermath works pretty hard to be mediocre. Bad acting, bad dialog, a semi-ludicrous Die Hard-like scenario. But its got some core competency that kept me engaged, even if I winced during otherwise cool action bits.

The film stars Dylan Sprouse as a former soldier who is driving across a bridge with his teenage sister. Mercenaries with an axe to grind blow holes on either side of the bridge and take all the people in cars hostage. Can someone with a suite life find his grit and take them down?

The scenario feels limited… it’s basically Die Hard on a Bridge. And they don’t even do the bare minimum to make that limited scenario work. Basically, a bridge has two directions and they hide behind cars a lot. No going below the bridge, no climbing the supports, using elevation to their advantage. It’s a remarkable waste of potential in a scenario that desperately needs it.

On top of that, the action sequences are uneven. Some are pretty good (even with too many cuts). Others are pretty tepid… nothing quite works on a level of a modern action film. But there’s still some suspenseful and thrilling moments scattered throughout.

I think we’ve reached the maximum acting capacity of Dylan Sprouse. He’s unconvincing as an ex-soldier with PTSD… especially when he breaks down and explains his trauma overseas. It’s pretty bad. But maybe that’s only half his fault since dialog throughout the flick is often corny, cliched, and dumb.

So what’s good about it? I think it’s a serviceably good enough action film and the actress playing the teen sister is good enough that I wanted her to live. There’s something to the flick that kept me engaged, even as I rolled my eyes. In that I wasn’t bored means something.

I’m giving it a good rating… it’s a low rating for a good review, but it’s still a mild thumbs up.

Score: 75