There is a lean, mean, violent action movie buried in here somewhere, that is like a cross between Aliens and Universal Soldier. However, there is too much fat on the bone for it to be let loose.

It is summer entertainment as it used to be; grounded spectacle, with basic, small-scale stakes, likable heroes and a high-concept plot that is easy to follow. It is the exact type of movie that caused some of us to fall in love with the medium in the first place.

The screenplay never puts in the work to get them to see where they went wrong. It is more like their hatred stops making sense to them because they need to cooperate to stay alive.

It mines the role reversal for several good moments, especially her pleasure at turning the tables on him. Unfortunately, the final act is underwhelming, ending things on a middling note.

It is not a good movie, though it certainly isn’t the disaster I was expecting, either. It is about two-thirds of a serviceable thriller. That’s not bad for January.

It is good entertainment, doubling as a history lesson. The fact that it makes us consider how crimes are covered today, and how criminals get turned into instant, polarizing, celebrities, is the cherry on top of the sundae.

It is well-cast, pretty and a little too serious, considering how silly the plot is. It may not be completely faithful, but it is an accurate representation of the book.

If you can look past the surface of the story, dig into what it is trying to say, this is a pretty significant project.

It is predictable, with dim characters, a slow pace and no sense of location whatsoever. But then there are bursts of surprising cleverness and some genuinely funny moments.

It is a little uneven, repetitive at times, with an ending that makes the story feel sort of pointless. But it is also cleverly made, with likable characters and a constant sense of overwhelming dread hanging over every second.