Neophytes and Neon Lights

This film, though suffering from obvious budget restraints, nontheless pulls off a novel idea rather well. Taking place in the future for some reason, this film follows the exploits of a group of street kids through their relationships with one another and the powerplays of a "transportation" station outside of Australia. Tension ensues when one of the kids is forced to show his loyalty to the leader by stealing a mysterious bag from an equally mysterious old man.

There are plenty of funny moments throughout the film, and some clever and witty lines. The setting is unique, and there are a few novel apporaches to the old sci-fi cliche, most impressively i think by the scientific breakthrough that drinking urine is good for you.

Maybe it's the accents, but i found most of the actors to fit their roles appropriatly, and for there to be a chemistry and dynamic between the charactors interactions with each other. The filming (un?)fortunately has a amatuerish feel to it, intentionally or not, that ironically gives the situations a realistic feel despite the fantastic setting. Nontheless, their are some awkward transitions and apparently extrenous scenes. The synthesizer score is nothing to write home about, but there are some cool original songs scattered throughout that breath in some fresh air. The begening animation is a little bit out of place, and the twist-ending was somewhat lost on me, but other than that, i thought this movie was a fine example of what can be done with a very limited budget.

I will admit that I didn't get to the end of this movie (and I have a very high pain threshold when it comes to bad movies) one of the characters said "I'm not putting up with this sh*t any longer!" once too often and I agreed with him and went off to find some paint to watch dry.

The film is endless. Shot after shot of the same 7 or so actors standing in front of the same 5 walls talking talking talking endlessly bloody talking. Yadda Yadda Yadda all the time and saying nothing interesting*. When something does happen it happens so badly that you are left wondering "what was that all about?"; this particularly applies to the 'escape from the cells' sequence which suddenly, out of nowhere, is done with an under-cranked camera and 'comic' music a la Keystone Kops (complete with car horn honk as the guard is bashed on the head). The plot, such as it is (a bunch of semi-Punk semi-New-Romanticly dressed mall rat types try to get the bag of a stranded traveller), is thin and the whole thing sounds like it was written a 17 year old and made as a film school project.

It may be there are stunningly interesting plot twists in the last 20 minutes or so of this movie but they aren't worth the wait.

*occasionally the crew walk about in the background pretending to be extras.

I spent a lot of time and effort trying to get my hands on Neophytes and Neon Lights. It's an Australian film festival flick, and I found it quite troublesome finding it. However, the wait was worth it. This movie is admittedly one of the oddest flicks I've ever seen, but it's also a radiant gem.

The plot doesn't shine. It's set in Australia, in a world where teleportation has replaced air travel. Four petty criminals, a drug dealer, an entertainer and a half-crooked security guard frequent a teleportation terminal, which is the equivalent of an airport. The acting shines, and the characters are amazing, once you get them straight, which is the hardest part of the movie. Don't only pay attention to the main characters, but file every character into your brain - people you wouldn't expect come into play as the plot surges forward. It starts out fairly slow paced, then speeds abruptly, and the twist ending will knock you for a loop.

I was impressed with the talented bunch of actors, pulling off tough characters. Americans may only know Matt Doran from his small part in the Matrix, but Mouse fans will love Sedge. Morgan O'Neil comes through with Astro beautifully, and Sam O'Dell will break your heart as Turner.

Overall, this movie was funny. It was suspenseful. It was extremely entertaining. I wished it would never end. If you can get access to this elusive movie (as it took me months to do) I would say, whole-heartedly, watch it. You will not regret it.