The Stratum

I am a child of the 80s. Was raised on films like The Last Starfighter, Weird Science, Krull, and The Thing. Hitchhiker's Guide and the original Doctor Who were in my backyard, too. The ambience and spirit of those swashbuckling adventures inspired me, entertained me, made me laugh and made me think.

All that atmosphere and character is alive and well in The Stratum. The beauty of those films was their ability to hide a message of hope and courage amidst a sprawling story, and do it on a budget. Special effects were more practical and so the heavy lifting was done with dialogue and acting.

Crash Buist and Lauren Senechal deliver that, and more, with chemistry, ingenuity, and zeal. Stratum is one of those rare independent films that plucks on your heartstrings without telling you it will, and does it with a wink and a smile.

The dystopian future, the rogue hacker with a twinge of innocence, the plucky princess with a plan, and the duplicitous CEO; you'll find them here, but updated and real.

You can feel the joy that went into making the movie in every frame. And, at the end of the day, you might walk away inspired, to not only see the world a little differently, but maybe to try and change it, too.

I finally got around to seeing this after the new york times reviewed and said it was worth watching and they were right it was a fun time. I appreciate an indie film that has an original idea and runs with it! Usually I don't like scifi stuff but this was good and the lead actress did a good job. I don't really understand the negative reviews, like, the sets weren't star wars but like I'm not really sure what you were expecting? This is an indie film that has personality.

Also I love Ramin Karimloo so that probably influenced my enjoyment of the movie but still it's a good time and doesn't take itself too seriously.

This reminds me of a movie that might make it on SYFY at 2am on a Tuesday because they couldnt get anything else to fit the budget. Acting seemed forced. Writing was basic at best. The only reason it has a rating if 5 (for now) is because one of the stars of the film rated it a 10. (We see you Johnathan Medina) That's like saying you have the most beautiful baby when it looks like a goblin.

Avoid this flick, unless you: 1. Have the time to utterly waste.

2. You need to put something in the the hospital room of a coma patient (and they'll probably wake up to change it) 3. Run a CIA black site that needs to torture someone and you can't waterboard them.

The low 3 stars score the movie currently has is undeserving. First, Cyberpunk movies are a rarity and as fans we'll take what we can get.

Hacking sequences were done well enough. They were not as realistic as Mr. Robot, and Matrix' power plant hack, but not nearly as horrible as Hollywood's usual flying 3D cubes nonsense.

If this had Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt starring in it then the score would be 7 which is incidentally what Passengers has right now even though it's a horrible movie. So that's what I'm rating this.

While unrealistic that the science macguffin would be developed in the location it was, at least the premise was grounded in reality. No alien wormholes or ambiguous "ghosts in the machine" here.

I was hesitant to watch this movie based on the low review score on IMBD. However, I'm very glad I ended up watching it, even though it's nowhere near a Hollywood blockbuster financed affair. The story isn't unique and it borrows ideas and concepts from many other sci-fi movies but that isn't important or detrimental as you'll probably (if you're anything like me) find yourself rooting for the protagonists and willing them to succeed against the odds. The movie keeps up a good pace throughout and there's never a dull moment. The CGI isn't great but is certainly acceptable for this level of movie, and your fantastical mind forgives any shortcomings fills in any gaps. You not only get heroes versus villains in this storyline but you may be surprised to find out who is which if you stick with it until the final credits start to roll.

Incidentally, I was intrigued to watch the entire movie through to the end after reading some of the reviews on IMDB. So, not only do i disagree with those who cast doubt on the acting and special effects but I would go as far to say they are misleading and exaggerated negatively. I gave The Stratum 8/10 because I enjoyed it so much. Very well done to the director, cast and crew, for this little gem of a movie.