De første anmeldelsene er inne for Tommy Wirkolas sci-fi-thriller «What Happened To Monday» (med nordmenn som Christian Rubeck og Pål Sverre Hagen i sentrale roller) er inne etter at filmen ble vist på Locarno Film Festival.

Selv om kritikken er ganske blanda drops, vender tommelen hittil oppover.

Det de fire anmeldelsene i Variety, Moviemarker, Screen Daily og The Upcoming enes om er at filmen kanskje ikke er så smart som den selv later til å tro, men at Noomi Rapace gjør en god jobb i rollene som sju tvillingsøstre som må leve i skjul på grunn av en veldig, veldig stram futuristisk ettbarnspolitikk (les mer om det i vårt intervju med Wirkola).

Det anmelderne er uenige om, er hvorvidt det er gøy å se på.

Variety er i heiagjengen, selv om de mener filmens manus er så full av plotthull at «it feels macraméed rather than written».

Det som trekker opp er at fortellingen i hendene til Wirkola og Rapace «attains such a level of lurid brainlessness that cult reappraisal may happen at some point, after a decent interval of sober reflection has passed.»

De ender opp med følgende anbefaling:

«We’re used to dumb-as-paint sci-fi actioners being cynical cash-cows that wear their contempt for their audience on the sleeve into which they snigger all the way to the bank. But Wirkola’s film is set apart by its almost heroic lack of self-awareness: Not only does it not realize how dumb it is, there’s a real sense that it thinks it’s smart. In fact it’s a whirlygig of inanely convoluted plotting, deeply dubious philosophy and shots of Noomi Rapace sliding glasses across tables to herself. You should probably watch it.»

For Screen Daily sin del er opplevelsen definitivt verdt en titt. De beskriver Rapace som tvillingene slik:

«They are now all played by Noomi Rapace who has an absolute ball defining each one with the enthusiasm of a child let loose in a dressing up box.»

De skriver også at:

«When they all sit down to dinner, chat and argue like a real family the effect is seamless and entirely convincing, a testimony to extraordinary technical advances since the days of Michael Keaton in Multiplicity.»

Screen Daily konkluderer om filmen med at:

«It may have its failings but it is never less than entertaining.»

På den mer negative enden av skalaen finner vi The Upcoming, som kaller filmens verdensbygging for «end-of-the-world politics for Banksy fans» men samtidig skriver at «a slightly enjoyable, sweary, bloody action film emerges».

The Upcoming skryter også av slåssescenene, men er ganske lunkne i konklusjonen:

«The story obviously wants to side with anti-establishment sentiment against the restrictions on basic freedom, but the writers can’t help but sympathise with the quasi-Malthusian teenager nihilism that decries overpopulation. If, as purported, it is based on the pseudoscience of works like 10 Billion, the book and film can share the same terse review: both are unscientific and misanthropic. At least heads explode in this, even under the guise of utmost gravity.»

Den mest negative anmeldelsen gir Moviemarker, som går gjennom logiske brister i fortellingen punkt for punkt:

«The reason for Dafoe’s character gong up against the Bureau doesn’t really make sense. Especially when we see the ridiculously over the top repercussions that ensue. This leads onto another major issue, why the ridiculous level of security? Sure the one child policy has been enforced for some 30+ years and yet, all citizens are required to wear a bracelet that is scanned at every point during the day; when going to work, buying food, even entering their own homes. We see armed guards across the city and all for what purpose? To stop potential siblings moving around? It’s overkill to a ridiculous degree.»

Moviemarker mener også Rapace gjør en god jobb, men at det ikke redder filmen, og konkluderer med at:

««What Happened To Monday» was a clever concept ruined by it’s overly complicated, overly-cliched and frankly boring delivery.»

«What Happened To Monday» slippes 18. august på Netflix i USA og England, mens den har norsk kinopremiere 8. september.