What a nice surprise to see a mindless sci-fi/thriller/mystery movie that works and delivers. Not going to get into the plot here: the story delicately unfolds in layers and I wouldn’t want to ruin it for anyone. Suffice to say that the film keeps the audience attentive throughout and audibly gasping (if not not more) whenever the main ’’thrusts’’ of the film happens on-screen.
Julieanne Moore is, as always, great. She manages very well to convey the at-the-abyss emotional landscape of a mother refusing to relinquish the memory of her lost son. She’s actually so good at that particular kind of emotional tension and has done it so regularly in other films that her resume should be entitled ’’Women on the Verge.’’ (Would love to see her doing more comedy, just for balance.) All the the other actors are pitch perfect in what are mere supporting roles. Alfre Woodard is especially good as the cynical city detective/sleuth (with warmth and intelligence) although she does succumb to telepathing her ’exit’ during her last few lines.
I could have done without the convention of extreme color balance shifting which has become cliché. Yes, there are holes in the script and plot, but this film does partially fall into the sci-fi genre, which is after all an oxymoron.
The movie’s biggest contribution to film-making is the visual realization of the thematic ’removal’ of characters and the morphing of the representative perpetrator. Even Spielberg wasn’t able to do it as well. All in all a good ride: certainly better and more rewarding than any Shyamalan film. Everyone in the audience I saw it with left with smiles on their faces.