ERASER: REBORN (2022) ** ½

If you’re reading a review of Eraser:  Reborn, you’ve probably already entertained thoughts of watching a twenty-six years later, completely unrelated, DTV sequel to an Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick that doesn’t star Arnold Schwarzenegger.  By reading said review, you’re probably only seeking one thing:  Confirmation that it’s as bad as you’re expecting so you can talk yourself out of watching it.  Sorry to disappoint you.  While it’s no means what anyone would call a “good” movie, it is moderately entertaining and much better than slews upon slews of unrelated DTV sequels that are on the market. 

You know it’s kind of fascinating to me which movies get decades later DTV sequels and what doesn’t.  Let’s use Schwarzenegger’s filmography for example.  Why does Eraser get a sequel and not, say… End of Days?  It seems like you could do more with that concept.  Maybe brand name recognition?  I don’t know.  Maybe it’s because the idea of an agent that acts as a bodyguard to people in Witness Protection and erases their identities is a lot easier to do on a DTV budget than say, a satanic action flick.  

The plot involves a woman (Jacky Lai) working with the Feds to get the goods on her kingpin husband.  When she accidentally kills him in a scuffle, an “Eraser” (Dominic Sherwood) comes in to take her into protection.  Predictably, his team accepts a bribe, and they set out to erase him too. 

Eraser:  Reborn is competent, albeit completely unnecessary.  The set-up, while derivative, is sound.  It’s not bad.  It’s just that the film begins to tread water whenever the action begins to dry up.  At best, it’s an above par DTV sequel.  At worst, it plays like something you would catch on ION TV in the middle of the afternoon. 

To his credit, Sherwood doesn’t even try to copy Arnold.  He’s more than happy to just play the role like the lead of a TV show.  His character is pretty bland for the most part, but I think he might go down in history as the first action movie hero that has a pet ostrich, so he has that going for him. 

Speaking of animals… The original had a memorable sequence involving alligators.  This one double-dips and provides silly kills featuring hippos and rhinos.  (The CGI is wonky on both counts.)  So, as you can see, the filmmakers were at least trying to honor the first movie while still daring to be a little different.  Oddball touches like that ensure Eraser:  Reborn won’t be completely erased from your mind soon after watching it.