Levels

Good acting, interesting premise, good special effects (for it's budget) this movie has it all except that it is utterly boring. It's like Free Guy after they sucked every ounce of fun out of it. Cara Gee (the Expanse) couldn't save this movie from being bland but she is definitely a good watching point. The premise is interesting and while we have seen similar premises in Free Guy, Matrix and Inception we have never seen this exact premise in any movie that I know of. It could be a very interesting movie but it failed. I am being generous giving it 5 stars because it was made competently but it is so boring and after you know what is going on then it is just unbearable to watch and the final twist doesn't make up for it even though it's quite clever. This movie is barely watchable once, I would never sit through it a second time.

Other reviews contrasting this Canadian production (presumably lower budget, but unsurprisingly good acting) with Free Guy and Matrix aren't wrong, but what we see with this entry into that universe is not only visually appealing (all three films have had mind-bending special effects), but shows a bit of heart and soul. It feels less mass produced. So what was needed was a bit more work on the development of the characters, a bit more plot development. I acknowledge the criticism of another reviewer that the exposition feels a bit dogmatic, but davka (actually, for me) that is necessary for the precious little character development we do have here, so I wouldn't have edited that out. Rather, I'd have added to the run-time a bit, to flesh out all of the characters, precisely because, in a digital universe, personality and individuality begins to matter in this one. Perhaps...our choices do matter.

It's a complete disappointment. The first thing I criticize is the music. The music of the movie is terrible. A movie soundtrack is definitely very important. The music that plays in this movie is classical. But the movie is science fiction. The other important thing is the plot. The script may be good, but the plot is very important. Jumping from topic to topic will take the viewer away from the movie. Also the actors. The actress definitely plays so badly that I would never want to see her again. Also the actor is not very good. Science fiction has been tried, but this is only in communication networks. In other words, when technology advances, it advances in the entire universe. For example, the fact that cars are the same, but almost all communication tools are made with eyes is a complete fiasco. I think no expense was spared for this movie. Because all the scenes were generally shot in the same place.

In short, it is one of the worst movies I have ever seen.

Whilst the script could have used refinement, some of the visual gimmicks were heavy handed, at the heart of this story is real substance. Unlike a lot of Hollywood movies, especially in genre adjacent stuff, this movie feels like it has a genuine human element as well as a sort of wistful philosophy befitting the subject material.

The special effects are beyond what one would expect from a low budget, and indeed so is the acting, which successfully sells the premise. On the downside there's a little too much exposition and as mentioned before reliance on visual gimmicks.

But where you can watch most blockbuster movies and feel like you've been exposed to no real new ideas, or effected by the premise, the heart this movie has makes the sci-fi experience more personal - as science fiction should be, a reflection of our human experience.

All told, worth a watch IMO.

Joe (Peter Mooney) seems to be jumping from world to world. He encounters Ash (Cara Gee), Hunter (Aaron Abrams), Oliver (David Hewlett), and a gun. The first thirty minutes are a confusing bore. Then comes the long info dump. It's not a good way to start and connect with these characters. For this sci-fi indie, the writing is the problem. There is no advantage to leaving the reveal late in the process. It needs to explain this world sooner. In the end, it doesn't sound wild enough. The acting is pretty good for a lower budget sci-fi. The special effects are fine. The movie probably lost me in the first 30 minutes.