Self/less Review
RYAN: I remember when I first heard about this movie, I was very excited about it. A sci fi/thriller, with Ben Kingsley and Ryan Reynolds… there seems to be a lot of good potential here but it’s not as impressive as I’d hoped it would be.
CAROLINE: I’m less intrigued by sci fi than you are but why was it not as expected?
RYAN: It’s pretty thin. The concept is very cool and there are a couple decent twists, but it’s just all rather straightforward.
CAROLINE: Not any good subplots?
RYAN: No it’s really just the realization of the idea – what if you could transplant your mind to a new body when your current body is dying?
CAROLINE: Creepy.
RYAN: Kind of but it never deals with the issue of the soul or spirit and I think that deeper layer would really have made a more profound impact. As it stands, it raises interesting thoughts about immortality but doesn’t really go deeper than a 68 year old entering a 35 year old’s body and playing some basketball and going clubbing.
CAROLINE: Ha. Really?
RYAN: Well, then, there’s the whole plot of the movie about the dueling personalities which you gather from the trailer – and the story is good. There are some suspenseful action scenes. And the editing is especially good. There’s one particular sequence with excellent scoring cut to a montage and it’s a highlight of the film.
CAROLINE: Nice. Were you edge of your seat at all?
RYAN: Not really. It just ebbs and flows with its intensity, but again, since it’s such a thin storyline, overall, it doesn’t seem as smart as better sci fi movies. It ties up it’s one loose end but still has some pretty large loopholes and questions. This movie presents a bit of a missed opportunity. It’s enjoyable, but not a must see.
