There are tons of movies being made these days, some ranging
from spectacular to others the bottom of the heap. Most movies tend to fall
into the category of not bad but not quite worth repeat viewings. Setting aside
those movies made for zero budgets that cater to a special crowd (splatter
drenched horror films, which I love, come to mind) and looking at movies
intending to be better we are now presented with HIGHER POWER.
The concept is nice. A maniacal scientist (Colm Feore) is
intent of saving the world in spite of itself. His project abandoned he moves
forward with it on his own. He searches for the perfect subject to employ and
finds one in Joseph Steadman (Ron Eldard). Steadman has a scarred past of
alcoholism and violence. His wife now deceased he’s no longer in touch with his
children, one of whom is a college student who wants nothing to do with him the
other a junkie on the streets.
Knocked unconscious Joseph wakes to find a heck of a
headache and someone talking to him inside his head, the scientist. He’s given
instructions on what to do and if he doesn’t follow through images are
transmitted to his brain that allow him to see his daughters and the danger
they are in. With no choice but to follow along he does so, moving from one
task to the next. Each task makes him angrier and angrier, those long held back
rages he’s been dealing with coming to a head.
And with each burst of anger and rage a power is building
inside of him as well. Eventually his tasks lead him to a huge generator and it
is from this generator that he will be transformed into a hero, one that we
need to save the world from a destructive gamma beam headed for our planet that
was mentioned briefly in the film’s opening moments.
What sounds like a great story is pretty good but would have
made a much better episode of say THE TWILIGHT ZONE than a 93 minute film. The
effects are the most amazing thing about the film and set it above many others
in the same genre. The cinematography is well done as well. The acting is much
better than one would expect from a film like this too.
But the pacing of the film does it great harm. It feels like
it takes forever for the story to move forward. This is why it would make a
better TV episode than film, the amount of time wasted to develop what is
happening. The characters feel more like cardboard cutouts, characters we
recognize without having to invest much thought into. Even Eldard who I
consider a much better actor than the roles he’s been presented in the past,
can’t save this film from mediocrity.
This is also one of those films that if you’ve seen the
trailer then the odds are pretty good you’ll be able to figure out what’s
taking place long before the film itself tells you. It will also provide you
with enough footage to figure out what the outcome of the film will be. The
movie is not the worst thing I’ve ever seen and some might find it mildly
entertaining for a night but it’s not one that will result in repeat viewings
or on a list of films you tell friends they must see.
No comments:
Post a Comment