My very first encounter with this movie was a decade ago and till date, I've managed to remember the title of the movie. If I remember vividly, after seeing the movie for the first time, I was so pleased that I double tapped the screen just to note the title of the movie and it stuck.
The interesting part of it all was that I took an interest in taekwondo courtesy of the movie. I went as far as reaching out to a few people in a bid to sign up for lessons. This interest was sparked by the characters in the movie and it lasted for a while.
Recently, the title kept popping up in my head and so I made a mental note to watch the movie all over again. Although I had forgotten some scenes in the movie, I got to experience the satisfaction all over again.
About The Movie
The movie tells the tale of Megan Walsh, a sixteen year old international assassin who is trained by a secret organisation known as ‘Prescott’. After narrowly escaping death whilst on a mission, Megan decides to fake her own death and enroll in a suburban high school to experience a normal life.
During this course, she picks a fight with some perpetrators in school and her video goes viral. This leaves her vulnerable as her enemies come to seek revenge; endangering the lives of Megan’s newly found friends and family
The action comedy film released on the 29th of May, 2015 , was directed by Kyle Newman and spans for 96 minutes. The movie stars actors like Hailee Steinfeld, Sophie Turner, Samuel Jackson and Jessica Alba.
My Opinion
This film's tone was spot on, seamlessly balancing humour with action. I've come to realize that I'm up for anything ‘action’ if it is accompanied by humour. Megan’s fish-out-of-water moments in high school provided some of the film’s funniest movies. She was extremely naive but what else can one expect from a home schooled assassin whose only contact with the world is usually to carry out highly specific tasks and nothing else?
Initially, I enjoyed this film because of its fresh perspective. Before then, I had never seen anything like it. But over the years, big strides have been made in this genre of film and if one is familiar with the movie “mean girls” there would know a thing or two about this movie.
Megan as a lead character performed brilliantly. I wouldn't say her character was directly relatable to me in the actual of it. The supporting characters were equally exceptional as they delivered solid performance, making the whole viewing experience worth it.
The outstanding themes in this movie were self-discovery, identity, empowerment and friendship bonds which were demonstrated by the lead character. Although she was the best of the assassins, she felt that she was capable of more and she wasn't wrong.
I believe this movie had a lot of heart put into it. Although it didn't have any form of explosions or heists as an actual action film would, it was entertaining to watch. A decade from today, if the title pops up in my head once again, I would gladly watch the movie.
Recommendation and Rating
Barely Lethal is a fun movie to watch; I thought so a decade ago and I still think so. I would recommend this film to anyone looking to see a fun, entertaining and lighthearted movie. It is a great movie for anyone, irrespective of your preferences. I would give it a 4.5/5.0 rating.
Also, on this special day, I would like to dedicate this movie to my darling Best-jhymi- and urge her to see the movie.
PS: Happy Birthday to you meine liebe, saranghae❣️✨.