Cora

If you enjoy the mood and feel of the Stalker games, this is the movie for you.

I have no idea how they spent that much to make a movie that takes place in the woods.

From a science fiction point, it actually have a really good story in the end, but take way to much time just to get to it.

Perhaps, it would be better as a short film ?

You would find better dialogue and acting from any AA computer game, and there is probably big chunks of the story cut out for time, as theer are many story threads, never resolved.

This is what happens when you try to do some world building, without a storyboard or general idea on what message you want the movie to give the audience.

I am all for a movie that we get snippets of information about what really is going on, or with an open ended finish, where you can speculate on what is really going on - but a 500 piece puzzle, and you only get ten middle pieces just builds frustration.

The final twist however, i really liked.

( despite being used so many times it almost is a trope by now. )

A standout element of the movie is the adventurous behavior of Cora. She is a character defined by her courage and willingness to confront the unknown head-on. Whether facing daunting obstacles or navigating uncharted territories, Cora's proactive and daring approach to her circumstances is consistently engaging. Her decisions and actions propel the plot, making her a dynamic and inspiring figure whose journey is as much about inner strength as it is about external exploration.

This adventurous spirit is brought to life brilliantly by Felicia Rylander, who delivers a captivating performance as Cora. Rylander imbues the character with a nuanced blend of vulnerability, determination, and raw emotion. Her portrayal makes Cora's trials and triumphs deeply resonant, allowing the audience to fully connect with her experiences. Rylander's ability to convey both the character's internal struggles and her outward resolve is a key factor in the film's immersive quality.

The film has some convincing special effects, especially the toxic mist, but any notion that it symbolizes "late-stage capitalism" is purely ludicrous. The film's story arc is one of survival in a post-apocalypse setting that pits selfishness against altruism. Other than its sluggish pacing, Cora suffers from an incomplete script that introduces a MacGuffin (the scientists) but delivers no resolution (what happened to the scientists). Note that "deleted scenes" are displayed during the end credits, which reveal a longer film was shot but a shorter film was released. It feels like a TV series pilot that was abandoned but sold to theaters to recoup expenses. Actress Sanne Brostöm (Cora) bears a resemblance to Mona Lisa but I doubt it was anything more than coincidence.

Overall, a pretty interesting concept and twist. All of the effects that aren't just plugins (the mist, the bullet impacts) were good. The blood was very well done, except for when it looks like an old pasta sauce stain 10 seconds after spraying out of a gunshot wound. Fantastic blood spray for a modern movie, I just wish the muzzle flashes and impacts weren't simple After Effects plugins.

The mist is not a well done effect, it just looks like the saturation was knocked down in post and makes the movie hard to see. They really should have spent the money on some fog machines because it is so obvious the fog is an overlay.

The story was interesting enough. Gasmasks and AKs, so it had a nice Stalker vibe overall. Weird that the main actress doesn't show up on the IMDB page though.

As in Core - but with Cora, because ... well I do not think I have to explain more: so no pun intended. The main actress has her work cut out ... she really has quite a lot to do in the movie. I will not go into details, but you will understand once you watch the movie. It is quite twisted and there is a lot to explore - not just for her ... Science Fiction is a territory that can give a lot of freedoms.

The script is decent - but while it may hold some surprises for casual viewers I do believe that ... well let's go with experienced ones will not be too surprised by the twists this has to offer. I'd say most will be able to tell where this is trying to go. Again no pun intended - humanity is mostly its own enemy ... no matter what happens ... I would say you could make a similar case here ... just try not to double cross ... let's leave it at that.