96 Souls

Based on the information beforehand, i expected this to be a movie in the style of " Flatliners ", but halfway through, the story went in a entirely new direction.

It became a thriller with heavy tones of philosophy, and a really good one of that.

The movie could have been better with a bigger budget as indoor scenes often seemed " unused " and the lighting seemed crisp but " cold ".

The acting and dialogues were on the other hand outstanding. Friends reacted like friends do, met with extraordinary news. The actors did an awesome job here, and to be honest, the " bad " guy here - had some really compelling arguments on why he had his verion of ethics. I really loved that scene.

In the end, you get many questions to ponder about in regard of society, connections to other people, and ethics.

I saw the movie spring 2021, just when the discussion on patents on life saving medication needed all over the world is at its peak. So we have here a 5 year old film, debating ethics that are more current than ever.

The most unusual thing about this movie, even as a big watcher of movies for many years, i could not see the twist and turns before they happened, and i loved that.

The movie started with what seemed to be a well executed story line but somehow lost the plot half way through. The director could have either done away with the pseudo philosophy , or at least developed it properly. Amateurish special effects and cardboard acting from some actors did not help.

Sorry to say, this is not a good film. Not the acting, the script, the dialogue, the pace.. really, it's hard to find anything good to say about it. Even if the premise had a chance at all, the way it's portrayed completely ruins it. So - two thumbs down from me.

Very short review on this one. The story starts out okay with an interesting concept (being able to visibly see odors), but then devolves into absurdist directing and not-so-special "special effects" that have no sensible or reasonable basis. What starts out as science fiction quickly become science slop. Oddly, this happens at the very same time the theretofore reasonable script suddenly explodes in a blast of profanity. It makes one wonder if they completely changed directors and writers 20 minutes into the work... and decided to throw decent writing, reason, acting and good directing out the window in favor of shock schlock. What began as a reasonable premise becomes unbearably ridiculous-- at which point I decided to waste no more of my time than already spent on this spud.

"96 Souls" is captivating from start to finish. The lead scientist at a university lab has his hands full as he deals with personal disappointment and heartbreak at the same time he is fighting for support of his unprecedented research into light-based identification of scent. His life turns upside down when an accident in the lab inadvertently provides the breakthrough he is seeking and more. This low-budget thriller uses simple, but effective special effects to illustrate the "hallucinogenic" quality of his formula – it literally alters one's perception of reality. There is unexpected humor in this film, which doesn't detract from its message about the importance of not abusing potentially exploitative information for harm. It is also a meditation on love and loss, as well as personal redemption. Jack's discovery transforms him as readily as it transforms his field of study. Toyin Moses deserves special recognition for her performance as Bazemint Tapes. Her scene in the mental hospital's music room is both poignant and revelatory, and the young actress is convincing throughout the film. This nicely-written film serves a main course of entertainment with side of morality tale.