12 Kilometers

I loved the visual effects and the color palate of the film with the sound effects all together put me in the mood of 80's classic creepy movie vibes. The main idea of the story is original and related to geo-physics scientific project so I was curious through out the whole movie. I like that kind of scary movies which are about natural and scientific projects. It represents the daily thoughtful minds of us. Asking questions like what would happen if we tried to discover what is beyond our reach or what if there are other forms of life deep down the earth. As a human being is wondering and searching for answers of all the questions regarding our universe and the earth we live on.

First thanks to Mike for the password to watch this. I did enjoy this short , but I wanted some additional understanding of what's happening or something to provide some closure to the end of the film. The ending seemed more abrupt than I expected. By the time there seemed to be some introduction to the dark presence from the deep, then it just ends and goes to credits.

The atmosphere and acting were all great and I can't wait to see more from this director. I just felt like this was more like the opening 20+ minutes of a show or movie than a short film. If a full feature of this premise came out I would definitely watch that!!!!

Ok it might not be up to the standards of a "normal" horror movie which plays at your instinctual fear like a jump scare or some gory sequences. But Mike here is playing at something else. The fear of being a disappointment, claustrophobia, anxiety and failure. What I mean by that is, if you took a 12 year old for instance and showed him/her this movie, they would make a remark along the lines of "I've seen worse" or "too short". On the other hand if we took another person with a pretty decent life experience.. they would be recalled of some of the worse things in they've went through, at least that was the case with me. It might not be something that'll keep me up at night but as the title said it did make my skin crawl for the 26 minutes of screen time. Mike does a really good job of keeping one's eyes on the screen here.

I agree with alot of the reviews around what was done so well in this film so I would like to critise constructively as all my love for this film is highlighted by others.

The sound design and sound track at the beginning was very clear and loud at times which distracted me. Alot of the film I thought would be executed better if more of it was silent. Mostly I was not sure if what I was hearing was soundtrack or diegetic sound effects and part of the narrative.

The protagonist was unclear as I had impressions that the man we followed until the end was the antogonist. With a farely confusing but beautiful finish.

The cutaways by the microscopic photographer were beautiful with a War of the Worlds feel however I felt there was too many and got distracted.

I love the auteur feel you have to your films and the film sucessfully carries out an aesthetic and mood to it.

1. The concept of "sound of the earth" is really cool and interesting, a tv series could definitely be based off this. It's a shame, but also an opportunity, that the viewer is left wanting more of it. It's a bit like the old myth of the sirens/mermaids luring sailors to their death with their singing. In 12KM's case this idea is brought to the next level, not only this sound can influence people's will-power, but it can mutate their cells genetically and it also has a physical manifestation: a black liquid/goo.

2. Which leads me to point 2. I have been extremely frustrated by the 2 recent Venom movies. They could have benefitted so much from a similar cosmic horror perspective! As some fans might remember, venom symbiotes react to sound as well. Unlike the black goo from 12KM they are afraid of certain frequencies; but if that is the case, wouldn't it be possible that there could be a sound that might empower them? 12KM would make such a thrilling origin story tv series for Venom. Not only it would sell a lot, but it would become a psychological and cosmic horror classic!

I'm sorry Mike if this review sounds in any way superficial, but I did really enjoy your work and I'm sure it can e developed in so many creative and amazing ways.