SYNOPSIS: Three high school students make an incredible discovery, leading to their developing uncanny powers beyond their understanding. Even as they learn to control their abilities and use them to their advantage, their lives start to spin out of control because their darker sides begin to take over.

REVIEW: There have been few times in my movie reviewing career where a movie leaves me stumped. As far as this movie is concerned, I have found another one. I liked it and didn’t like it at the same time. Does that make any sense? Well let me explain. There were some aspects of the film that were pretty good and some that weren’t. The problem is that the balance is almost level. Let’s start with the filming style which is primarily hand held home video. I’m a fan of this style because I believe it makes the movie more realistic. My favorite example of this is Cloverfield. The only difference is that in the case of this movie, the hand held camera usage seems overly convenient. The reasons for the camera to be rolling at certain moments were weak. The fact that the camera happens to be on during all this, is pushing it a bit. But okay, it did make it more realistic even though the overall presentation of the story was realistic to begin with considering the genre. Another aspect this movie shares with Cloverfield that also helps in its realism is the cast. Like Cloverfield, the bulk of the cast is relatively unknown performers on the big screen so you can feel like this is a real home video as opposed to watching known performers playing characters in front of a camera. But speaking of characters, the main character of the film, Andrew Detmer played by Dane DeHaan, is a very troubled soul. He is at the bottom of the totem pole anywhere he is. He is abused at school, in his neighborhood, and even in his own home. The context of this story is quite strong. This is not like your good old fashioned comic books. Here we have a situation where high school kids have stumbled upon this power and the question is do they have the maturity to handle it. I do have to admit that I really enjoy these new takes on the ever popular “superhero” genre. Movies like Kick Ass, Watchmen, and Hancock don’t follow the typical superhero formula and they are just as exciting and refreshing. This movie does the same in a much different way. These kids are far from being superheroes; they are kids with super abilities.

Arguably the best aspect of the movie is the eye candy in the form of excellent special effects. Even though some of it was a little cheesy, for the most part when they used their power it was visually stunning. The setting for this incredible story, Seattle, didn’t look too shabby either. I was able to appreciate it more having been there a couple of times. The Space Needle performed very well looking majestic as it should. The rest of the cast performed very well too, especially the three amigos whose lives would never be the same. There is nothing negative to say about any of the performances. The storyline on the other hand, not so much. The concept is very cool and the overall story is interesting but the way the story is presented lacks substance. It seems more like a series of events that lead to them getting these powers and a series of events that occur afterward. There isn’t that much of a plot and even though there is a climax, the way the movie ends doesn’t really leave a lasting impression. But all in all I will give Director Josh Trank credit for taking on this project within a genre that is increasingly more difficult to work in. This being his first major motion picture direction, it’s not a bad job even though it has some flaws. I would recommend this movie to you, especially if you like the genre, but just keep your expectations under control.

MORE MOVIE REVIEWS >>>