Incontrol

I came across this film advertised as a cross between 'Looper" and Inception. I also saw its rating, and despite being on the low side, both these films are my cup of tea so gave it a go.

And do you know what. I really enjoyed it. The premise was interesting, the acting definately above average and it was a well made film So why does this not hit the mark whilst Inception and Looper did? Both these films had closure, as simple as that. Despite their budget, I thought this film was potentially up there. But for me this felt like it was only the first third of a very good film. I was watching it, wondering where it was going next in the middle part of the film and then boom.... It's all over. Questions which were just about being asked received no answer whatsoever. Such a shame. Who? Why? What? Still don't know. I would love this to be the beginning of a trilogy personally but because of a twist at the end, I can't see this being the case.

I have to say up front that the basic theme of the film - being able to experience existence in any other physical state than being in one's own body - is of great personal interest to me, both personally and, at one point, professionally.

So, the filmmakers were at a simultaneous advantage and disadvantage, with respect to me.

That said: from an objective view, they did pretty well with what one can assume of their budget, and the script largely worked with the concept of exploring the meaning of the self alongside the potential trappings brought by the ability to manipulate the reality of that self.

Again, in context of what the cast and crew had to work with, the acting is above b-movie mediocre, albeit not so much as to distract from the obvious and expected dropped lines or unrealized punch points in the script.

Speaking of which, the script laid out a scenario with great potential only to get too bogged down in minutiae and unnecessary dialogue.

I still go back to the ambition and creativity of the premise - body-swapping-type stories have been done many times, but this falls outside the norm due to the psycho-physical interaction and heavier philosophical questions that ensue. This isn't low-budget Face-Off or another failed attempt at the ideas behind Transcendence. These guys went for the gold.

They didn't hit gold due to budget, but at least they tried.

A worthy watch for any sci-fi or sci-leaning fantasy fan. A solid 6 rating - that rating meaning at least 60% of all I've ever seen were lesser than this in some way.

Then again, that's out of at least 10k, so you do the math.

If you are after a thought provoking film this may be good view. If you are after action or flashy scifi avoid. It made me think so deeply that I rated it 6/10 after viewing then thought it through again and raised it to 7/10. As I read a quick summary of plot I was expecting what I got and it delivered. The film is quite slow moving hence my initial 6/10. But on review I appreciate this was intentional by the film makers to draw you into the story. I had my suspicions on how the movie would conclude but certainly not completely and more than enough to think back through the film for characters actions and intentions. It certainly made you consider how you would react to being within a group of people who could control the minds of others. Made you wonder whether they had only performed actions in control of people, who are unaware they are being controlled, that the people would normally do anyway and to what extent they could push the moral boundaries of what they would do themselves. For me this was explained at the conclusion sufficiently though I can understand why this has left some viewers confused and feeling that they needed more explained at the end. For this movie to fully explain what exactly was going on it would have required to double it running time. And it would also ruined parts of it conclusion as they were the main things to be focused on from the beginning. So yes there is an element of mystery to it. The fact I enjoyed watching it, liked the central and for want of a better words emotional element, then left me wondering about the unexplained and imagining possible explanations made it a very good experience. It is the type of movie that is hard to write a review for as I always do so for anyone who reads this has or has not seen so try to give away too much details of the plot. So I hope those who have viewed the film see where I am coming from in my thoughts of the film and give enough, just, information for those who are considering watching it.

Deep thinking, pun intended, thought proving experience.

I have mixed feelings after watching Incontrol. The good points were that the story is innovative and the actors were'nt bad. But unfortunately even if the story was innovative it clearly missed the chance to bring a good sci-fi movie. It's a missed opportunity because it could have been much more interesting if developped better. Now you just get a mediocre story, that quickly becomes boring to watch, while the potential to have an intriguing story was there. I didn't get the end at all. Maybe it was open for interpretation but at that point I was already bored with this movie and so I couldn't care less. But I would watch another movie with the same concept if only the story was better.

Was drawn into seeing 'Incontrol' with a cool poster/cover, a very intriguing and creative premise (one of the most innovative for any film seen recently) and as someone with a general appreciation for the genre. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive.

'Incontrol' is a film it doesn't do enough with its potential (although there are far bigger wastes of potential in film) and could have been much better, can't say that it is a great film because it isn't. It is not a terrible film though, as far as recent low-budget film viewings go it's one of the better and more watchable ones easily. It certainly could have been far worse, considering the large number of films seen recently being mediocre at best and irredeemably terrible at worst.

Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky and 'Incontrol' is surprisingly well shot and easy on the eye, was expecting a cheap looking film and to me that wasn't the case here. The music is suitably ominous.

Found that the acting was not bad, found it better than average if not much more.

Also that there were a few nice moments that intrigued and there was tension, suspense and creepiness, the first half is very promising and has a good deal of unsettlement. At least the film was not hard to follow and the story structure was generally coherent.

Unfortunately, the story does feel paper thin, disjointed and over-stretched and after the promising first half the film became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary in the second, with the outcome revealed too early and the ending not feeling tied up enough. The characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them and some of the decision making and behaviour induces face-palming. The effects are ropy at best.

Dialogue can be stilted and rambling, with lots of clichés and no depth whatsoever (definitely one of the worst assets), while the pace goes to a standstill very quickly and drags with very little going on worth caring about. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Tonally, it feels unfocused and muddled from trying to do too much.

There are too many underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. There is not enough threat here and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, too much of the second half is unimaginative and more odd than creepy, with little sense of horror or urgency. Momentum sags later on and the direction has its assured moments but inexperience also shows. There is a general lack of creativity and shocks.

The sound editing can be on the obvious and over-loudly recorded side. The editing is haphazard at times, but really it's the script and the second half that are most problematic here.

Overall, not great but worth a one time watch. 5/10 Bethany Cox