Higher Power |
USA • 2018 • 93m •
   • Directed by: Matthew Charles Santoro. • Starring: Jordan Hinson, Colm Feore, Ron Eldard, Austin Stowell, Jade Tailor, Mei Melançon, Tom Wright, Winston James Francis, Richard Portnow, Laura Margolis, Marielle Jaffe, Omar Doom, Linc Hand. • Music by: Kevin Riepl.      When the Universe decides what it wants, it's pointless to resist. With his family's life at stake, Joseph Steadman finds himself the unwilling test subject of a maniacal scientist in a battle that could save the world, or destroy it.
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Review:
For that reason ALONE, this movie deserves a TEN... This ENTIRE story is about the buildup and creation of the character Joe into a force that will have massive implications on the "world scene." We see Joe's frustrations over how one of his daughters turned out; strung out on drugs and bitter over her mother's death. We see and hear his agony over his failures to protect his daughters and make their lives better, a point which is hammered home repeatedly and leads to his mental state. Still, on that front, I thought Joe's acting could have been a little bit more "diverse," if you will, rather than just "aaauagh! Why are you doing this to me?" Surely he would have different questions in mind. But, if we're being analytical, our "creator" kept Joe in situations that required him to do more action and less thinking, bringing to the forefront of his mind "there isn't enough time."
The "villain" of this story, if you will, is our God-creator. And it definitely makes you think about one thing (if you're of a philosophical and analytical mind)... How far would you go to protect life? Would you kill one? ten? hundreds? thousands? What really impressed me was the "creator's" unwavering and unbending drive to complete the task before him. High respect to the actor portraying this "villain," though it was nice to see a single tear shed near the end over what had to be. As if the human side FINALLY came through.
The special effects. Damn, they were impressive. The creation of this powerful being was a bit scary, and we see that though benevolent at times, the sheer magnitude of his power was awe inspiring. The force of his beams, the faster than light travel, even the way the CGI was crafted told a dual tale. A tale of a powerful yet scary being, and then, near the end, the human side glimpsed through long enough for us to realize that he would need to be "pushed over the top" once again.
The movie takes awhile to build up, but one thing you'll be asking close to halfway through the movie is "what happens when he reaches his breaking point." Once you understand what's at stake, you realize what HAS to happen. And the end result was rather interesting to look upon, our CGI enhanced "guardian" trying to look out for our situation in life. The end result is a rather serene but towering final few minutes that will definitely leave an impression.
Anyone that understands this movie isn't meant to mirror "real life" understands the bigger picture. A very interesting and intriguing concept that was NOT shot on a huge budget. Still, they did a fantastic job what what they had to work with, and I most definitely enjoyed every minute of this film. And might I mention my surprise to hear true electronic and harsh industrial music contained within, as the music fit so well (though the foray into an industrialgoth "nightclub" was a little odd... One wouldn't think a drug dealer of that caliber would be into this sort of lifestyle, but I digress).
Review by vibrationsofdoom from the Internet Movie Database.
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