Contents
The Interceptor is a 2022 action-drama film about an American Army Captain who must thwart a nuclear attack all by herself. Captain J.J, played by Elsa Pataky, is posted to an interceptor base, an above-sea platform that has the ability to intercept nuclear missiles. The base is attacked by mercenaries, led by Alexander Kessel, played by Luke Bracey, and J.J has to do all that she can to maintain control of the platform. The Interceptor is directed by Matthew Reilly and also casts Chris Hemsworth who plays a store attendant who is left behind to watch the nuclear threat.
Sexual Abuse in the Military
The movie Interceptor looks into the issue of sexual abuse in the army also, and how women who get abused are not believed and sometimes receive backlash including insults, mockery, and even death threats after they report the incidents. Captain J.J undergoes a sexual abuse incident by her senior which she reports but is heavily ridiculed for.
She receives hate mail and her house is even trashed with abusive graffiti written all over the walls. Even more, the army sends her to the interceptor base in the middle of nowhere, as an unspoken punishment for the accusations, albeit factual, she made against a ranking general. The results are a suicide attempt by J.J that goes awry after her father finds her and saves her.
A Rampant Occurrence
Her female colleagues console her and say that they too undergo a lot of sexual harassment and abuse. It’s very unfortunate that things of this nature occur in any institution, including the army. We vehemently condemn sexual harassment and abuse anywhere and in any form, however ‘mild’. There is nothing mild about making someone feel uncomfortable or harassed.
Only Line of Defense
There are apparently two interceptor bases in the U.S and one is taken down, leaving the interceptor base on sea, SBX-01, where J.J is now in command after all her colleagues and commanders are killed by the intruders. J.J has to think fast and cordon herself within the command center. She locks the impenetrable doors and has to hold the room for an hour and a half until help arrives.
Never Stop Fighting
J.J fights like hell to stay in control of the command room, she intercepts a nuke and has to overcome betrayal even by her colleagues. Her dad, now in a care home, is attacked and the mercenaries allege to have killed him. Even so, J.J does not give in and keeps her hold of the command center.
Things get nasty and a traitor within her ranks lets the mercenaries in. They broadcast the incident and threaten to nuke numerous cities in the U.S. J.J, however, retakes the room and now has to hold off the mercenaries who go on to try and sink the platform.
By Any Means Necessary
J.J blocks the window to the inside of the room and hides. She lets the mercenaries take the room temporarily and gambles on her ability to take it back. The mercenaries get in and launch more nukes but J.J fights to the teeth to intercept them and thwart the nuclear attack. She singlehandedly, and quite literally, singlehandedly saves the world. The ridicule she got for reporting the sexual abuse incident is now trampled by overwhelming gratitude from all over the country.
Our Rating
The Interceptor is a thrill to watch. It is not blockbuster action and mad effects, but it carries a message. The storyline is also executed in a way that it’s simple to understand and follow. We liked the movie and give it a 7.5/10. It also talks about important issues such as sexual harassment and sexual abuse in the workplace. Above all, it is a movie about perseverance and fighting for what you believe in.
