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#686 – Glasshouse (2021)
Glasshouse (2021)
Film review #686
Director: Kelsey Egan
SYNOPSIS: As a airborne disease known as The Shred has permeated Earth’s atmosphere and wiped people’s memories, a small family have taken refuge in a glass house. Their ritualistic existence is interrupted when a stranger arrives and is brought into the house…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Glasshouse is a 2016 South African sci-fi film. It is set in a world where an airborne disease known only as The Shred causes people to lose their memories. In a glass house protected from the outside a family of women with, but their somewhat idyllic existence is shattered when an injured man is brought into the home, and their lives begin to unravel. The premise is simple enough to get, but it is extremely slow going: the plot unfolds at a snail’s pace as the new arrival starts to upset the balance between the residents. There’s some intrigue, mystery and drama here, but my main issue is that this is one of those films I just don’t like: where one person shows up and just gaslights and manipulates everyone else and we can only look on as everyone falls for it. You can certainly make these kinds of films work, but the way Glasshouse goes about it leaves a lot to be desired: it uses a lot of very typical beats to drive things forward, including just using sex as a manipulative tool, which honestly just feels like it has been done so many times before, and there’s nothing else to really make it stand out.
The plot revolves a lot around memory and remembering, but this evolves to such a point that the characters can no longer trust their memory, or if they have been exposed to The Shred. This invites a host of inconsistencies that are never really addressed; it eventually becomes a case of dismissing these plot holes and questions as just a case of bad memory, and this carries on into the conclusion that offers very little. The characters are fairly well defined and play their roles well, but the character of Luca (the man who is brought into the house) just remains an inscrutable mystery regarding his motives. It seems because he is immune to The Shred that he turns up to the house from time to time when no one remembers who he is to just manipulate everyone and continue the cycle of causing trauma and making them forget. The film tries to tie it up at the end, but it just doesn’t work: any time there’s an attempt to tie things up or be poetic, it just falls a bit flat. With all that said, the film does linger a bit after watching it with all the mystery it raises; it’s just that it thinking about it never leads anywhere. I’m sure Glasshouse has an audience for it’s drama and ambiguity, but the slow pacing, tired plot devices, and gaping plot holes combined with an inability to construct any depth means that the whole experience is a struggle.
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#684 – Phuntroo (2016)
Phuntroo (2016)
Film review #684
Director: Sujay Duhake
SYNOPSIS: An engineering student looking to win the university’s science competition is rejected by a fellow student, and decides to get over her by building an A.I. hologram of her…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Phuntroo is a 2016 Indian sci-fi film. Vira is one of a group of engineering students that are looking to compete in the college’s science competition. Vira is also in love with fellow student Ananya, and when she rejects him, he takes the healthy step of creating a hologram version instead. The plot of the film is a bit of a mess: you’ve got this overarching plot concerning a science competition like an episode of an eighties cartoon, but there’s also a mystery surrounding the death of one of the professors that never really figures into the plot until the very end. The main issue with the film is that the main cast is just an unlikeable bunch. The young men do very little other than complain about not being able to pick up girls, and constantly talk about them in a derogatory way. Imagine if you took the main cast of the Big Bang Theory and made them even more unlikable, you’d get what Phuntroo offers. By far the worst character is the lead, Vira, who decides that he is love with fellow student Anaya, and is mad that she isn’t being rational about being in love with him. He is just so unlikeable, and nowhere in the film does he seem to realise that he is being a jerk, nor does he ever face any real consequences for his actions.
Vira’s response to a justified rejection seems to be to create an A.I. hologram of the woman who rejects him, who is named Phuntroo. Again, he’s not really selling himself as sympathetic. This is supposed to be the main element of the film, but the hologram only appears halfway into the movie, and doesn’t have the time to develop into anything significant. It does the whole “A.I. going out of control and trying to take over shtick,” but it just goes nowhere and doesn’t change the film’s dynamic in any real way. The production is fine, but the script is lacklustre, the characters are horrid, and a few of the ‘jokes’ are plain inappropriate. The ending also just seems to wrap up everything neatly even though none of the characters really grow or learn anything, particularly Vira, who really doesn’t deserve anything. Phuntroo is not worth a watch in any way, it’s no fun, it’s not funny, the story is shallow, and the characters are atrocious.
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#683 – The Pod Generation (2023)
The Pod Generation (2023)
Film review #683
Director: Sophie Barthes
SYNOPSIS: In the near future, a young couple decide to undertake a pregnancy using an artificial womb. Adjusting to the pregnancy, they find that even with a womb that they can leave on it’s own, pregnancy still creates a number of problems to overcome…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: The Pod Generation is a 2023 sci-fi film. Set in the near-future of New York, a young couple decide to have a child, but do so using an artificial womb that they can carry around, which presents it’s own issues and quirks. The film has a mild comedic tone as it pokes fun at over-intrusive artificial intelligence and marketing speak. Throughout the film, various issues arise that provide mild inconveniences to the main characters, and…that’s it really. Throughout the entire film, all the issues that arise are resolved simply or simply glossed over; there is next to no conflict to explore the themes of the film. You’ll quickly notice how completely opposite the couple are: Rachel (Emilia Clarke) to adopt new technology, while Alvy (Chiwetel Ejiofor) prefers nature and the natural world that is easily forgotten in this future. They seem completely incompatible as a couple, yet any disagreement barely comes to anything. Throughout the runtime, there’s nothing that really builds up and becomes the main focal point or issue that ties things together, and it really feels like the film wanders around lost and without purpose. There’s a constant feeling that the film is poking fun at the marketing ploys of companies that try and constantly over-empathise and humanise themselves, but never provides any robust challenge to them: it just shrugs it’s shoulders and moves on. By the time the film ends, I think the final note is that none of the silly trivial moments of pregnancy matter when it’s over and you’re holding your baby, but translating that to the whole of the film makes every issue it raised pointless as well.
While the film has a good cast, nice sets and design, nothing really sticks as the film goes round and round, and while characters change their outlooks on things, it never sticks or changes the dynamic of the film. I just felt like the whole film was toothless: it needed something to happen or to make a statement in order to make everything stick; but it just never comes. Maybe they don’t want to frighten away more casual moviegoers with a more prevalent sci-fi warning I’m not sure, but The Pod Generation never reaches any kind of intellectual or comedic high to make a lasting impact, and wastes a good idea and cast with a very meandering script.
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#681 – Next (2007)
Next (2007)
Film review #681
Director: Lee Tamahori
SYNOPSIS: A small-time Las Vegas showman is being hunted by the FBI to assist in locating a nuclear weapon that is set to be exploded somewhere in the U.S.. To do this, they want to utilise the showman’s unique ability: being able to see two minutes into the future. he, however, is not interested, and is more concerned with trying to find the woman that he sees in the future, and the only person that appears further away from those two minutes…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Next is a 2007 sci-fi film loosely based on the short story “The Golden Man” by Philip K. Dick. It centres around Cris Johnson (Nicholas Cage) who is a small-time performer in Las Vegas using his secret power to see two minutes into the future. He is being hunted by the FBI to help them locate a terrorist cell that has smuggled a nuclear weapon onto U.S. soil. The plot is very simple to grasp as you can tell, but it was not always like that: originally based on Philip K. Dick’s story “The Golden Man,” the film delved more into the authoritarian themes of the novel, but following a rewrite it was very much streamlined into a typical action film with nothing to grasp at underneath that Hollywood veneer. the film starts off showing the interesting premise and sets out the stakes, and then just…goes nowhere with it. The plot holes are numerous and nothing is explained or established: How do the FBI know about Cris? Why does Cris only see beyond two minutes into the future when he sees Elizabeth (Jessica Biel)? Who are these terrorists? What’s there motivation? Who is leading them? Nothing connects to anything, and you’re left with a patchwork of sci-fi and/or thriller setups with a good few of those patches missing.
With Nicholas Cage in the lead role, the film very much feels like a typical Nicholas Cage movie. It’s difficult to say if he is the right person for the role: it certainly fits right in with the silliness of the rest of Cage’s filmography, but the issue is that he just doesn’t have any real chemistry with Jessica Biel: it just comes across as very awkward and unbelievable. Some of this may be the script not giving her any kind of character arc, and as mentioned, we are never given any kind of answer to why Cris can only see her further in the future than two minutes. There’s also the sense that Cris is never really in any peril: his powers are never challenged in any real way, even in the finale, which just involves him quickly fixing any issues that arise. It’s entertaining enough, but there’s no real stakes involved, and Cris barely breaks a sweat. The final twist, essentially undoes a good chunk of the movie, and while this could have been an interesting take, it fails to really bring about a significant change in the characters or anything. Next is pure nonsense thanks to awkward performances, next to no rationale or setup for anything or anyone, and there being so many things which seem to be missing with regards to character’s motivations or explanations for anything regarding the protagonist’s powers. It’s entertaining as far as there’s enough action to draw your attention, but the stakes are never raised too high thanks to Cris’s powers being so omnipotent. It’s a bit of fun, just don’t think too hard about it.
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#680 – Transcendence (2014)
Transcendence (2014)
Film review #680
Director: Wally Pfister
SYNOPSIS: Artificial Intelligence researcher Will Caster is shot by an anti-technology terror group. Given only a month to live, his wife Evelyn makes a desperate attempt with the A.I. they have been working on to upload Will’s consciousness when he dies. When they succeed, the A.I. Will asks to be connected to the internet, and starts to rapidly evolve with access to an unlimited amount of data and information…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Transcendence is a 2014 sci-fi film. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) and his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) are at the forefront of a project to develop a genuine Artificial Intelligence, which draws the attention of an anti-technology group. Will is shot with a polonium-laced bullet, which gives him severe radiation poisoning and a month or so to live. In desperation, his wife plans to upload his consciousness to their A.I. project, despite hesitations from their friend Max (Paul Bettany). The upload succeeds and Will, now a fully fledged A.I., wants to be connected to the internet and expand his horizons. The story of the film is your typical cautionary tale of Artificial Intelligence going too far too fast, coupled with a romance drama between the husband and wife leads. The thing which stands out for me is that the film never really sets out one side or the other as the heroes or villains of the story, and as such you’re constantly oscillating between who is wrong or right. This is a double-edged sword: on one hand, as a viewer you’re never quite settled into who plays what typical role, and have to remain open to all of the different viewpoints that do not cleanly resolve themselves into right or wrong actions. On the other, this makes the film very muddled with a lack of direction or purpose. While it is possible to pull of the former, this film ultimately falls into the latter; the lack of direction and flow means that the film doesn’t really build up to anything, and any kind of pacing is constantly thrown off by big leaps of time passing and different characters changing their positions with little warning.
While the focus is on the perils of artificial intelligence and all it entails, the film doesn’t really offer any new ideas or viewpoints that make it stand out from the very familiar sci-fi set-up. There just seems to be something missing with the relationship between Will and Evelyn that isn’t properly explored to service as a basis for the film to develop either; baby which I mean you could forgive the more typical stuff if it had a unique personal drama and characters, but that’s sorely lacking too. By the time the film enters its climax after nearly two hours, the film has turned to very typical sci-fi shlock (and I like typical sci-fi shlock) with nanomachines controlling people and such, and a rather awkward confrontation that doesn’t really provide much of a resolution. All this stuff just distracts from the characters and makes the plot feel very generic. This film has a good, recognisable cast, but it just feels like they don’t really have any material to work with, and their inclusion feels like a waste. Director Wally Pfister’s directorial debut has made a film with some style and clearly taking inspiration from Christopher Nolan, whom he has previously worked under, but a really washy script that doesn’t grip any of it’s idea or characters well enough to develop them into something profound or impactful by the time of the climax takes the two hour runtime feel like a lot of waste. Transcendence has some expertise behind it and exhibits some style, but even the weak ideas that are explored are drowned out by typical sci-fi tropes that prevent either some profound position on the subject matter, or a meaningful relationship between the characters to emerge, resulting in a less than profound experience.
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#679 – Conquest of the Pole (1912)
Conquest of the Pole (1912)
Film review #679
Director: George Méliès
SYNOPSIS: Explorers from around the world are trying to find the best way to reach the North Pole, with Professor Maboul planning to use his invention the “aero-bus” to take him and his international crew to their destination. However, the journey is fraught with perils and adventure beyond their wildest imagination, as they struggle to achieve their goal…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Conquest of the Pole is 1912 sci-film by George Méliès. Combining inspiration from Jules Verne’s Voyages Extraordinaires stories and real-world events, the story revolves around various explorers trying to reach the North Pole. At a meeting of the Aero Club in Paris, Professor Maboul reveals his “aero-bus” that he believes will be able to make the perilous journey, and the club nominate a crew of members from across the world to join him. The plot of the film is simple enough; following the construction of the aero-bus, it’s launch, and journey to the pole. There’s additional elements too, such as the inclusion of suffragettes that gate-crash the meeting with a protest, and even try to reach the Pole themselves. The film itself is classic Melies: it takes the viewer on an adventure to fantastical places brought to life with well designed characters, creatures and Melies classic camera tricks that still captivate over one hundred years later. While it does have a longer running length than Melies’ older movies such as Voyage to the Moon, and has a more fleshed out story, some of the scenes do drag on a little. The problem being that filmmaking had moved on a little from Melies earlier films, but he was still doing the same thing. Like I say, they’re not bad, it’s just a longer length film needed something a bit more to carry the story, such as intertitles that contained the dialogue: without that, the longer scenes don’t really deliver as much as they could.
There really is some impressive imagery and designs here, with the areo-bus flying through the sky carrying the crew, along with all the other craft that are also racing to get to the North Pole (remember that flying aircraft were very much in their infancy, with the Wright Brothers famous flight taking place in 1903). All of the different designs of the aircraft are imaginative, almost as if it was a prototype It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The aero-bus’s travel through the constellations again provide an ample opportunity to create all of the images of zodiac with fun paintings and costumes. This scene does drag on with no real purpose though. The highlight of the film is probably the fight at the north pole with the ice-giant; brought to life with some impressive theatrics and moving parts. Conquest of the Pole is classic Melies: giving the viewer impressive visuals, camera tricks and theatrics that stand as a monument to his influence and mastery on the medium. It doesn’t make much use of the larger runtime, and as such some parts go on longer than necessary, but there’s more than enough spectacle and fun here to enjoy the journey.
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#678 – Her (2013)
Her (2013)
Film review #678
Director: Spike Jonze
SYNOPSIS: Theodore works creating love letters for couples as a service for those who don’t want to do it themselves. Following his marriage break-up, he entertains the idea of dating his new operating system, Samantha.
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Her is a 2013 sci-fi romance film. In a near-future, Theodore’s job is to write bespoke love letters to couples from each other, for those who can’t won’t do it for themselves: already sounding somewhat dystopian and also surprising that someone has tried to build a start-up based on said service (I’m actually sure someone has at least tried). Theo (Joaquin Phoenix) himself is currently going through a divorce, and in a romantic slump. When he gets a new personalised A.I. operating system, Theo and Samantha (the A.I.) begin to develop a relationship , thus experiencing the heights and challenges that it brings. Adopting the thinnest of science-fiction veneers, Her is a commentary on modern relationships in the widest possible sense; the fact that one of them is an A.I. is supplementary to that. The science-fiction element is also kept wafer thin because this is obviously intended to be a romance film foremost and designed to appeal to that audience, which is easily obfuscated by a thicker sci-fi backdrop that traditionally keeps that target audience away. The film provides a substantial amount of depth as it moves through different stages and issues, creating a romance that is warm and supporting, but doesn’t shy away from the issues it raises. The plot does run out of steam nearer the end, as the two drift apart and the film fails to articulate any motivating factors or engaging dialogue. I think part of that is the point: that sometimes, two people just drift apart as they change, and there’s no real way to articulate or rationalise it. Nevertheless, it did feel like there wasn’t anything more profound in the ending like the rest of the film, to latch on to.
Her has a very distinctive, consistent style that permeates the film: the colour schemes of warm, soft and pastel-esque colours evoke a calm and contemplative atmosphere. The music and soundtrack too reflects a similar kind of lightness and liberation, but still leaves space for the serious moments. The acting is flawless across the entire cast, I find no issue with that, even if the lead character is a bit flaky, but I think that’s the point in that we are watching him learn a few things. I have to say though; I did not love this film as a lot of people have done. There felt like too much faffing about at points, and tried to make it’s point one too many times by giving a line of dialogue that was clearly meant to be amazingly meaningful and profound, but I just didn’t feel like the film needed that weighty dialogue. Her is a well-made, thoughtful, and insightful film that aims to say a lot lot about modern human relations (and beyond human relations at that). A mix of quieter and loud moments that will connect with different people, and a soft sci-fi surface that won’t alienate more general filmgoers. Personally the film falls off near the end and runs it’s course a little before the two hour runtime is over, and there are moments that the film tries to be more explicitly profound than it needs to be. So I don’t think it’s perfect, but it’s certainly one for personal taste, and others may get more out of it than I have.
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#676 – Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014)
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014)
Film review #676
Director: Kiah Roache-Turner
SYNOPSIS: After an airborne infection from a meteor shower turns the majority of people into zombies, Barry and his family try to escape, but Barry is left as the only survivor. He goes to try and find his Sister Brooke, who unbeknownst to him has been kidnapped by a mad scientist and his goons, and is being experimented on…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead is a 2014 Australian zombie film. The film starts off with a meteor shower that releases an airborne infection, turning many people into zombies. Barry, a mechanic, tries to escape with his wife and daughter, but they don’t make it. Having only his sister Brooke left, he goes to try and find her, but little does he know, she has been kidnapped by a mad scientist who is performing some strange experiment on her. While there’s a lack of a cohering plot that ties everything together, Wyrmwood provides plenty of action, gore and energy to keep things interesting. It is, at its core, a a zombie film, and there’s a lot of zombie films out there, and I don’t think it makes itself stand out completely from the rest. The film is constantly on edge, with you never knowing really what is going to happen next, or who is going to get their face blown off, and as such, it keeps things entertaining until the end.
There’s a decent balance of gore, suspense and action that should satisfy a wide range of viewers, combined with some colourful Aussie humour too. The second half of the film brings a more clearer focus to the story, but not too much: it’s still a gorefest. Despite the low budget, there’s a good balance of physical and practical effects that are convincing enough, and the fast pace means that a shot doesn’t linger too long on anything to critique it. There’s not too much of substance to critique in Wyrmwood: it’s just a wild ride of dismembering zombies for a good ninety minutes, often without rhyme or reason: do you need a reason to go to town on the undead though? It doesn’t distinguish itself too much from the hordes of zombie films out there, but at least it’s loud, messy, and fun with plenty of flair and style. The story is a bit more linear and centered this time around, but the trouble with this is that isn’t isn’t very fresh or interesting, and thus brings the energy down a bit. Rhys just isn’t that interesting as a character
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#675 – Glowzies (2023)
Glowzies (2023)
Film review #675
Director: Hank Braxtan
SYNOPSIS: A group of elderly veterans who spend their time in a diner are interrupted by a group of young influencers who want to check out the old mill in the area. Suspecting something wrong, the vets team up with the influencers to investigate, and when a horde of gloiwing zombies is unleashed from the mill, the veterans realise that they have seen this before, and their memories are not what it seems…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Glowzies is a 2023 sci-fi film. The film sees a group of grizzled military veterans teaming up with a group of young social influencers to investigate the old mill where the vets worked, which has seemingly been disturbed. Unbeknownst to the vets, they have actually been drugged for the past thirty years to forget that they used to work there, and to keep an eye on the mill in case a terrible secret gets out; the terrible secret eventually does, as glowing zombies start to emerge and the animated goop that turns people into zombies must be stopped before it reaches the outside world. This very typical low budget zombie film may not seen like much at first, but it teams up an interesting contrast of characters, some decent special effects, and just enough self-awareness and humour to make it entertaining. There’s quite a lot going on with the story; from the vets having their memories suppressed, the influencers investigating the mill, the glowing ooze being some sort of alien lifeform, a villain that appears for five minutes…there’s an awful lot to process. But as mentioned, it has enough self-awareness that there’s always a sense of you don’t have to take things too seriously, or follow things precisely to get some enjoyment out of the film. The plot does get a bit bloated towards the end with everything that is going on, and I think a rewrite on the script could have streamlined a bunch of things that slow the film down just a little too much.
The acting is, on the whole, fairly good. With a cast of veterans including James Remar and Michael Dorn (who keeps showing up in these low budget films I end up watching), the film delivers some decent performances. One of the most notable features of this film is that it is a “fun for all the family” experience (as the trailer describes it), so there’s not an abundance of gore and adult humour to mix things up. There is just enough zombies getting their heads smashed in and exploding to bring out some spectacle, but never anything overly scary. Another thing that really stands out is the humour: there’s a fair few genuinely funny moments, it’s just that the pacing can sometimes fail to give the necessary space to appreciate the joke.
As mentioned, the special effects are fairly decent: the titular “glowzies” have an eerie glow about them, and the practical ooze effects are fun. The soundtrack has a sixties “Beach Boys” feel to it, although they obviously couldn’t afford to license any recognisable songs; nevertheless, you get the idea. I think the quality of the this film could have been easily bumped up with some more expertise in camerawork and a tidier script: scenes are often ill-paced, and the camera is not capturing a scene fully. I suppose that might be that the sets are fairly small, but it is noticeably distracting. Overall though, Glowzies is a fairly entertaining low budget title that surprises with a competent sense of humour and effects for it’s budget. A lack of a more rigorous and sharper script hurts some of the more tense moments, but for a “family-friendly” horror film, it’s got enough in it for a one-time watch if you can appreciate the b-movie aesthetic and recognise that self-awareness in the film itself.
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#674 – Nekotronic (2018)
Nekrotronic (2018)
Film review #674
Director: Kiah Roache-Turner
SYNOPSIS: Sewer cleaner Howard learns of the secret battle between demons who infiltrate the real world via the internet, and the nekromancers who fight them. Learning that he himself is a nekromancer, Howard is reluctantly dragged into the battle between good and evil, as the whole world comes under threat from Finnegan, who seeks the power of the demons, and who just also happens to be Howard’s Mum…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Nekrotronic is a 2019 Australian sci-fi film. Howard is a sewer cleaner that is thrust into the battle between the demons that invade the real world via an app, and the nekromancers that fight them. Learning that he is a nekromancer himself, he must team up with others like him to stop Finnegan, who just so happens to be his Mum, from absorbing millions of souls and becoming immortal. The plot of the film clearly takes elements from Ghostbusters and The Matrix, with creatures coming down phone lines, and being trapped by the nekromancers. It never feels too derivative though, as it has its own brand of humour and silliness to drive things along. The mechanics of how everything works are very convoluted though, and you’ll probably end up glossing over some of the details. The film is driven by a lot of high-energy banter, action and swearing: lots and lots of swearing. Alongside this, there’s enough twists and turns in the story to latch on to which keep things interesting.
The characters of the film often feel a little under-utilised: Howard as the man who is introduced to this new world is who we relate with most, because we as the viewer often have no idea what is happening either. His friend Rangi, who dies and becomes a ghost (erm, wraith) provides some more mad cap energy, but doesn’t do a lot for a good chunk of the movie. Molly and Torquel have their moments too, but nothing outstanding. Monica Bellucci as Finnegan is clearly overacting for her life, and makes a fun villain, complimenting the silly, fun nature of the film. The practical effects are substantial and give the action a very tactile feel, and everything is very colourful, so it often never feels like there’s a dull moment. Nekrotronic is a mishmash of different ideas, inspirations and sometimes overwhelming mechanics and logic, but its high-energy, over-the-top antics typically overcome the convoluted elements. It’s humour is not sophisticated, and driven very much by banter and swearing, which is not going to appeal to everyone. It’s a silly, flashy and altogether messy experience that doesn’t offer anything new or substantive, but might be just entertaining enough if you appreciate it’s sense of humour.
