Medical student Courtney is obsessed with the possibility of an afterlife due to the death of her young sister. Drafting a few fellow students to help, they stop each others hearts hoping to have a near-death experience and firsthand confirmation of an afterlife.
Ellen Page (Courtney), Diego Luna (Ray), Nina Dobrev (Marlo), James Norton (Jamie), Kiersey Clemons (Sophia), Kiefer Sutherland (Dr. Wolfson), Madison Brydges (Tessa), Anna Arden (Alicia), Miguel Anthony (Cyrus).
This remake of the 90's classic begins with Courtney's backstory which explains the focus on death and the afterlife. As the supporting cast is introduced, the main plot shows up hoping to prove there is an after life by using near-death experiences and things move forward. Slowly. The rest of the story becomes an exploration of personal demons and sadly generates none of the energy or audience investment of the original.
Acting was actually pretty good with Page delivering a solid performance. Luna was very enjoyable as well. Dobrev, Norton, Clemons, and even a small bit for Sutherland, were all handled quite nicely. At the same time, none of the cast felt worthy of our time, nor interesting enough to look at more deeply.
Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are fitting and have a nice, solid feel. Action scenes and CGI were also good and complimented the storyline nicely. Dialogue was mediocre, feeling flat much of the time. Sound and soundtrack are okay.
Unfortunately I feel a comparison is warranted here and hands-down the original is a much better film. This one tells the story in an updated way, but the emotion and intensity of the original film is lost. If you enjoy a mild psychological thriller and have never seen the original, you may enjoy this one.
With a fair amount of sexuality, some mild nudity, violence, gore, disturbing images, foul language, adult situations, and other stuff I am forgetting this should only result in mild mental trauma for teens and above.
Released: 2017
Reviewed: 8.5.18
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Horror, Sci-Fi, Drama, Supernatural
copyright ©2018 Dave Riedel
Ellen Page (Courtney), Diego Luna (Ray), Nina Dobrev (Marlo), James Norton (Jamie), Kiersey Clemons (Sophia), Kiefer Sutherland (Dr. Wolfson), Madison Brydges (Tessa), Anna Arden (Alicia), Miguel Anthony (Cyrus).
This remake of the 90's classic begins with Courtney's backstory which explains the focus on death and the afterlife. As the supporting cast is introduced, the main plot shows up hoping to prove there is an after life by using near-death experiences and things move forward. Slowly. The rest of the story becomes an exploration of personal demons and sadly generates none of the energy or audience investment of the original.
Acting was actually pretty good with Page delivering a solid performance. Luna was very enjoyable as well. Dobrev, Norton, Clemons, and even a small bit for Sutherland, were all handled quite nicely. At the same time, none of the cast felt worthy of our time, nor interesting enough to look at more deeply.
Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are fitting and have a nice, solid feel. Action scenes and CGI were also good and complimented the storyline nicely. Dialogue was mediocre, feeling flat much of the time. Sound and soundtrack are okay.
Unfortunately I feel a comparison is warranted here and hands-down the original is a much better film. This one tells the story in an updated way, but the emotion and intensity of the original film is lost. If you enjoy a mild psychological thriller and have never seen the original, you may enjoy this one.
With a fair amount of sexuality, some mild nudity, violence, gore, disturbing images, foul language, adult situations, and other stuff I am forgetting this should only result in mild mental trauma for teens and above.
Released: 2017
Reviewed: 8.5.18
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Horror, Sci-Fi, Drama, Supernatural
copyright ©2018 Dave Riedel
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