Paranoia Review: Irredeemably Boring

Paranoia gives you nothing to be thrilled about as its cliches follow you at every turn with the bland Hemsworth brother.

Paranoia is a generic thriller that tries to coast on its A-list actors but inevitably fails. The summary alone indicates that you’ve seen this all before.

You get a checklist of cliched characters – the ambitious and poor underdog with a sick underachieving father, the love interest, the nerdy sidekick, a couple of corporate titans, the hired killer, and that person who trains the lead so he can blend in with the elite.

The film makes no effort in tweaking the cliched plot as everything runs in its predictable course. Like in a horror movie, characters suddenly lose common sense to get the ball rolling. The lead outwits his enemies by giving them a taste of their own medicine with the help of a nerdy sidekick. He learns his lessons, solves his daddy issues, and gets the girl who’s out of his league. Don’t forget the “tension-filled” scene where he tries to download a file without getting caught.

The lead, Liam Hemsworth, is pretty but too bland to liven up the proceedings. The veteran actors do their thing and actually make it a bit tolerable, but their efforts are reduced by their cliched characters.

In fairness, the cast is stuck in a vapid and dull script that’s incapable of providing anything worthwhile during the movie’s running time. Several minutes into this movie you’ll ask yourself – why should I care about a selfish jerk trying to worm his way out of a fight between two selfish jerks? Paranoia gives you nothing.

The film tries to cash in on the popularity of The Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth, with experienced actors added for credibility. Unfortunately, the Hollywood sheen isn’t enough to distract you from the least paranoid thriller of the year.