I knew nothing of this movie until I saw it on Prime and decided to watch it. There are some good elements and effects to the movie but too many fall flat pulling the movie down.
It starts out fast which I like. No waiting 10-15 minutes before the story comes into play. It opens with Ian using his powers, then almost right away the pursuit. There are a number of slow moments in the film but also some good staged action pieces.
The acting is okay for the most part. The two female leads are the better actors or at least have better written characters. Pedraza as Esther is usually good and does the choreographed fight scenes well. Loren as Adriana does her best aloof Noomi Rapace imitation but it works.
There are a few elements that show the potential but they are not followed up with. The most obvious one is if Esther is truly an illusion. If you go back you see that she never interacts with Ian's father when they are together. The father never references her. Ian might have shot past her and not through her in the final battle. If she was an illusion then why did the villain have to hold his gun up and his hand holding air if it was his illusion. If she is an illusion then why was the father, injured from the car crash, sleeping on the coach while Ian had the bed. When Ester gets out of bed, clearly only one person has slept in it. But while it does look like she might be an illusion - clearly Adriana also has an illusion of her own that she talks to. This has great potential for has someone put a more "strict" loop in Adriana's head and why?
Like many movies from Europe, the different locations, cars, houses etc add to the movie as it provides images that are not overused.
The movie falls down through some terrible editing and unexplained plot points such as:
*If Esther is an illusion set in Ian's mind at the arcade then why not make it sympathetic to the villain from the start.
*The father seemed so sincere at keeping Ian safe over all those years so why did he drink so much? Talk about lowering your guard much of the time. I know alcoholism is a disease but in a case like this when you have to hide - you'd think you'd give it up.
*And where do they get their money to live? He won't do anything to draw attention to themselves but live on an abandoned ship. That's never going to raise any flags. And they've done good for themselves as he apparently has at least three monitors with his computer equipment.
*Why didn't Adriana shoot the villain instead of shooting an innocent bystanders who is under the control of the villain in the final battle? The villain had no value any more..
*There's some odd editing. A) At one point Esther and Ian are talking about some scientist and we see a flashback of them getting some information but that was not in the movie. Must have been filmed but deleted. B) Adriana sends in her team to capture them while at the old facility yet suddenly shows up at the boat to talk to the father. This piece of the film moves NOTHING alone. C) Ian goes after Esther after the final battle and the death of his father and then suddenly we are in the midst of some formal party.
Overall I still enjoyed it and it did set itself up for a good sequel which I will watch for.
It starts out fast which I like. No waiting 10-15 minutes before the story comes into play. It opens with Ian using his powers, then almost right away the pursuit. There are a number of slow moments in the film but also some good staged action pieces.
The acting is okay for the most part. The two female leads are the better actors or at least have better written characters. Pedraza as Esther is usually good and does the choreographed fight scenes well. Loren as Adriana does her best aloof Noomi Rapace imitation but it works.
There are a few elements that show the potential but they are not followed up with. The most obvious one is if Esther is truly an illusion. If you go back you see that she never interacts with Ian's father when they are together. The father never references her. Ian might have shot past her and not through her in the final battle. If she was an illusion then why did the villain have to hold his gun up and his hand holding air if it was his illusion. If she is an illusion then why was the father, injured from the car crash, sleeping on the coach while Ian had the bed. When Ester gets out of bed, clearly only one person has slept in it. But while it does look like she might be an illusion - clearly Adriana also has an illusion of her own that she talks to. This has great potential for has someone put a more "strict" loop in Adriana's head and why?
Like many movies from Europe, the different locations, cars, houses etc add to the movie as it provides images that are not overused.
The movie falls down through some terrible editing and unexplained plot points such as:
*If Esther is an illusion set in Ian's mind at the arcade then why not make it sympathetic to the villain from the start.
*The father seemed so sincere at keeping Ian safe over all those years so why did he drink so much? Talk about lowering your guard much of the time. I know alcoholism is a disease but in a case like this when you have to hide - you'd think you'd give it up.
*And where do they get their money to live? He won't do anything to draw attention to themselves but live on an abandoned ship. That's never going to raise any flags. And they've done good for themselves as he apparently has at least three monitors with his computer equipment.
*Why didn't Adriana shoot the villain instead of shooting an innocent bystanders who is under the control of the villain in the final battle? The villain had no value any more..
*There's some odd editing. A) At one point Esther and Ian are talking about some scientist and we see a flashback of them getting some information but that was not in the movie. Must have been filmed but deleted. B) Adriana sends in her team to capture them while at the old facility yet suddenly shows up at the boat to talk to the father. This piece of the film moves NOTHING alone. C) Ian goes after Esther after the final battle and the death of his father and then suddenly we are in the midst of some formal party.
Overall I still enjoyed it and it did set itself up for a good sequel which I will watch for.