I selected this movie on Prime because of the subject matter - Parallel Universes - and for that reason it was a fairly enjoyable watch. From start to finish though, it was predictable. I expected Jake #1 to change places with Jake #2, so, no disappointment there. I also expected Jake #2 to attempt to take back his own life, and it was obvious that he planned to throw his imposter back thru the portal into his own miserable existence. And that's okay, because it's what I hoped would happen. Some reviewers expressed surprise, even calling it a "twist", but for me it went along exactly as expected. I feel that it could have been a much better production, starting with casting.
I wanted to step into the wormhole myself and slap that harpy of a wife. She had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The character was wholly one-sided and grated on my nerves. In addition, the actor who played her was not very believable, especially as it pertained to the portal scenes. Almost any reaction to such an amazing phenomenon would have been more realistic than her blasé response. She was about as awestruck as a kid opening up a math book. The male lead wasn't much better. He handled the mechanics okay, but performed without depth. Lead performers should have charisma and a wide range of emotions and expressions. Here, it was lacking. Ditto for Jake's friend, who exhibited zero warmth or personality.
I take it back about there not being a twist. I just remembered - there was one surprising event at the end that was just perfect. (Think "Philadelphia Experiment"). That was the best part of the movie!
All in all, it was a nice way to spend an hour and a half because there are such limited films with themes like alternate worlds, time travel, and the like. I just think that, even on a shoestring budget, they could have put more oomph, more wonder, more animated performances into this one.
I wanted to step into the wormhole myself and slap that harpy of a wife. She had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The character was wholly one-sided and grated on my nerves. In addition, the actor who played her was not very believable, especially as it pertained to the portal scenes. Almost any reaction to such an amazing phenomenon would have been more realistic than her blasé response. She was about as awestruck as a kid opening up a math book. The male lead wasn't much better. He handled the mechanics okay, but performed without depth. Lead performers should have charisma and a wide range of emotions and expressions. Here, it was lacking. Ditto for Jake's friend, who exhibited zero warmth or personality.
I take it back about there not being a twist. I just remembered - there was one surprising event at the end that was just perfect. (Think "Philadelphia Experiment"). That was the best part of the movie!
All in all, it was a nice way to spend an hour and a half because there are such limited films with themes like alternate worlds, time travel, and the like. I just think that, even on a shoestring budget, they could have put more oomph, more wonder, more animated performances into this one.