Hostile Dimensions

What if there was a door which could take you literally to other worlds, guided by your imagination?

This is the very fun concept explored by HOSTILE DIMENSIONS, a found footage movie in which all the action is seen either via cameras held by the characters or placed elsewhere.

Found footage is a niche genre, and unfortunately there are many such movies which are just not good, probably because they look like anybody and their brother could make one. Consequently, many untalented people attempt to, filling this subgenre with a lot of drivel, Also, there are certain story lines which are used over and over (example: film crew explores abandoned house/hotel/asylum/prison or what have you, and then experiences misfortune), making a lot of these movies quite predictable.

I have seen many found footage films and find it really refreshing to see one that explores a story this potentially mind-bending. It is also quite clear that this is one of those movies where the vision far exceeded the budget. Though the special effects are not top notch, they are adequate to convey that vision, and other nice cinematographic touches, like the colored doors on the beach, effectively contribute to a strange but fun feel for this movie.

The biggest drawback I find is the screenplay, which draws characters who seem unconvincing in their motivations (might be partially also be due to wooden acting in some cases), has some plot holes, could be better on the dialogue and does not quite explain certain things, including the ending. On the plus side, there is a plot twist I did not see coming somewhat around midway. I feel a couple rewrites would have helped a lot here.

So, while this is a flawed film, it is still better (and especially more fun) than the majority of found footage movies and that is how I rated it. Now this concept I would love to see milked more often.

The idea of the movie and the concept are not really bad. It has some mystic feel to it and it kind of give a "backrooms" vibe, which is a nice start. The concept of door so another dimensions and backroom with Pandamonium and other things actually sound like a good idea.

However... Acting is terrible. Sorry, I like when actors are normal looking people and it gives "real life" vibe instead of "movie" vibe if you know what I mean. I like the cheap look and normal looking people and kind of realistic surroundings. But, that does not excuse bad acting. The reactions of characters, the lines, are just bad, bad, bad, there is no realism no realistic lines or behavior nowhere to find. They do not have a shred of believability. It just looks like a student or school play.

Cheap effects are also fine, don't mind it, but they didn't even try. It looks like this movie costs circa 500$ or so. There is barely anything that can not be cheaply built or made by some freeware 3D software. It's like they didn't even try.

In conclusion, there is something there, and it's fun, but cheapness kind of killed this movie.

This film has a very good premise, but it miss it landing. The bones are good. I love other dimensions type stories, but this film lacks substance.

My criticism have nothing to do with the low-budget aspect of the film. I don't need flashing CGI, or special effects; I use my imagination on novels all the time, so I can be drawn to a good story. However, there is basically no story here. You can watch the preview is that basically the whole movie. See this door, see it goes to different dimensions, see me run through it, see we find so random dude who happen to be expert at interdimensional doorway travel, see I am an expert at it now...

My first issue is the acting is terrible. I seen better acting in high school plays. The actors to not delivery on emotion. So their reactions seem like people trying to act a part, rather than people just living their lives (especially, since this is a lost tape style movie, so they should come off as regular people).

Next is the film is just weird. There are so many potholes that it just confusing. It hard to find people's motivation for their actions, so everything seems dumb and unbelievable.

I'm sorry, just being honest, it was terrible.

The who faux documentary thing is far beyond played out, but I thought maybe, just maybe this one might be interesting. Nope.

It just didn't make any sense, nothing was believable. (Yes I know sci-fi and fantasy don't have to be realistic, but they need to create a believable fantasy world). The acting was all over the place. Some good, some bad, mostly mediocre. No one reacts to anything the way you'd expect normal humans to react. It was just so bad. It really felt like I was watching the final group project for an undergrad cinema class. But, I paid for it. Ugh.

This is a found footage film, I don't particulary like the genre. However I had fun with it. As other reviewers have put it perfectly: they seemed to have fun with it. The fun shines through, however it is useless to look for a deeper narrative or a "science" part in the science fiction. Also the characters are not real, they do not react normal (you find a portal to another dimension and do not try to a) go to some authority b) make money of it. Ok, but after you use the portal and get to a hostile place you also do not equip yourself with some kind of real weapon / armor etc.).

The upside is that it is quite entertaining you want to know how it ends. But its a one time watch, perfect for an otherwise lazy afternoon or night.