‘The Lazarus Effect’ Review |
The first real breakthrough comes when the team is able to resurrect a dead dog, but as they begin to slowly discover, what came back isn’t exactly the same as the dog that perished. The big twist comes when the team’s research is forcibly seized by a large corporation – pushing Frank and Zoe to make drastic decisions in order to see their work come to fruition. Those snap decisions take a turn for the tragic, and in light of that disaster, with their backs against the wall, the team decides to do the unthinkable with the revolutionary serum in their possession.
But like with the dog: what comes back isn’t at all the same as what perished.
10 Things That Still Bother Us About 'Friends'
JK Rowling Answers That 'Harry Potter 8' Question
The First Cast Photo for 'Suicide Squad'
10 Shocking But Believable Theories About 'Star Wars'
The debut feature-film of documentary filmmaker David Gelb (Jiro Dreams of Sushi), The Lazarus Effect takes an overdone horror/thriller movie premise and manages to make it into something fresh and creepy… for about its first half. After the halfway mark, however, the film quickly unravels, revealing both a lack of vision and the technique necessary to execute all of the big ideas the film introduces. By some small miracle, despite killing its own momentum with a poorly-conceived narrative and logical gaps galore, The Lazarus Effect still manages to be creepy (if not scary) throughout.
‘The Lazarus Effect’ Review |
In terms of general direction: Gelb seems competently adept at telling a story in the visual medium – and then, at creating good scares and horror using visual manipulation as his tool. Where he needs more work as a feature-film director is in sequencing and connectivity; The Lazarus Effect collapses under the sheer amount of ideas or concepts that play out in stunted progression, or are outright jilted by the forward movement of the film. The logic of cause and effect – of action and consequence and resonance – seems completely out of whack, which is even more noticeable due to the movie being set in a confined location.
The same scrutiny can be applied to the script by Jeremy Slater (Fantastic Four) and Luke Dawson (Shutter). In concept, The Lazarus Effect is nothing new (See: Re-Animator, Pet Sematary); in setup it’s interesting enough and offers a lot of good, creepy potential; but in execution (especially the film’s odd final act) it’s cumbersome and clumsy – mostly tripped up by the logical flaws inherent in its single-setting location. Picking people off one by one within a confined space just doesn’t work, logically speaking.
‘The Lazarus Effect’ Review |
With a tight runtime, it’s not that much of a chore to sit through, but The Lazarus Effect is one of those horror films where lack of character logic makes it hard to root for the bodies that are inevitably going to pile on the floor. Not a terrible start for Gelb, but better seam work is definitely needed on his next project.
0 Response to "‘The Lazarus Effect’ Review"
Posting Komentar