Directed By George Nolfi

Starring- Anthony Mackie, Morena Baccarin, Maddie Hasson

The Plot – Set in the post-apocalyptic Rocky Mountains, a single father (Mackie) and two women (Baccarin, Hasson) venture from the safety of their homes to face monstrous creatures to save the life of a young boy (Danny Boyd Jr).

Rated R for adult language

Elevation | Official Trailer (HD) | Vertical (youtube.com)

POSITIVES

Despite ‘Elevation’ being continuously weighed down by frustrating execution, the film comes close to being a passable effort for Nolfi and his production, within the confines of its unique framing device, which summons a few commanding elements that felt downright remarkable for the kind of quality associated Lyrical Media. Being that this is a post-apocalyptic narrative, the setting and specifically the on-site filming locations of the Rocky Mountains surmised not only an abundance of intoxicating scenery, with artistic establishing shots amid drone photography, but also fully fleshed out the dire situations of this isolated world-building, with set selections that each inscribe something uniquely challenging for the few action set pieces that make up this film’s 90 minute entirety. On that subject, the minimized run time does feel like it constricts the storytelling quite a bit, especially in the lack of development for the established characters, but it does maintain an assertive persistence that kept the film’s pacing from ever dragging or testing the patience of its audience, with very little downtime between set pieces that opts instead for more of those vulnerable moments involving physical conflict. This also brings us to the beastly creatures themselves, who are unfortunately conjured with computer-generated special effects, but never the kind that saturate the screen with an abundance of artificiality that absorbs tangibility. The effects themselves aren’t anything remarkable to join the ranks of some of the best digitalized captures of all-time, but they’re presented wisely in ways that effectively obscure the detection of their visible traces, with quick-cut editing and placement in the proximity to the camera that allows them to blend seamlessly into the various backdrops that envelope them. The designs of the creatures are cloaked in a metallic texture that essentially makes them impenetrable, and with some devastating capabilities involving electric current that make them so much more than just a ferocious titan, the production took time to render something physically and capably more impactful than the typical creature feature, with sporadic usage that keeps them from overstaying their welcome. In terms of entertainment value, the film’s third act is easily its highlight, feeling like the lone instance where Nolfi’s direction finally takes ambition towards making his presence felt as a commanding storyteller. As to where the previous action sequences feel stale in both presentation and urgency, for some strange reason in the third act they finally rise to the occasion, particularly with one sequence involving the tentacles of these creatures to protrude through hospital walls, in order to penetrate our protagonists. The camera movements here are much more evolved and cerebral to the running motions of the characters, and while the editing does get slightly frenetic to the captures, there’s a palpable intensity that was most noticeably missing from aforementioned sequences, resulting in some attained momentum in the movie’s favor against some questionable choices that it makes with the direction of its future in the closing moments. Lastly, the performances are serviceable enough, but one rose above the rest, and that’s Morena Baccarin. Tasked with daily PTSD of her character’s own memories with these creatures, Baccarin wears the heavy burden of responsibility in ways that come across effortlessly in her weathered demeanor, feeling like the only actor who even attempts a palpable emotionality to her portrayal, which comes across effectively when Nolfi decides to zero in on her facial registries.

NEGATIVES

Not all gimmicks are the same, and Nolfi’s feels inferior by the shallow and surface level plunge that his movie takes in uncovering the truths of his beastly antagonists, with a lack of effort that even shows during the movie’s dialogue. Why can’t these monsters attack beyond 8,000 feet in elevation? We don’t know, and that’s exactly what the characters say when they’re asked that very same question multiple times throughout the movie. What’s worse is the film so clearly attempts a sequel with a last minute reveal that lands like a cotton ball on a Posturepedic mattress, in terms of shocking impact, and though it leaves enough uncertainty to fuel a sequel, it’s a movie that we undoubtedly will never receive, which makes this last ditch effort at a resolution all the more frustrating. In addition, Nolfi immensely underscores this movie’s appeal with flat direction that not only underwhelms the movie’s many action set pieces, but also the urgency of the mission at hand, which with a child’s life in balance, never feels even a taste of the kind of desperation needed to earn the empathy or appeal of the audience. This is a perfect encompassing of ‘Elevation’ as a whole, as the movie feels bland without feeling boring, and comatose without completely sleeping through the storytelling, and though it’s clear that Nolfi isn’t exactly giving his all to the integrity of the engagement, his influence is the greatest detractor of its success, cementing an action thriller that is forgettable at best, and underwhelming at worst. Speaking of blandness, forgettable and underwhelming, the characters are given around two scenes of exposition each to flesh out their respective arcs, without very little forwarding from that articulating, and as a result we get people who we don’t understand or care about their sometimes strangely surreal actions. Such an example pertains to one of our established trio meeting their untimely fate, around the film’s midway point, and while it completely comes out of nowhere, with blunt protrusion that isn’t remotely telegraphed or predictable, it lacked any semblance of impact or even accidental devastation, serving as the greatest reminder for the dramatic underscoring that keeps its audience uninvested, all the while phoning it in with ensemble-steered performances that need more personality or heart to attain a commanding presence. Speaking of phoned-in, the dialogue elicits these conversations that feel heavily influenced by off-screen writers, with punctuated sentencing during lines made so evidently for marketing trailers, and exposition spoon-fed so unnaturally that it quite literally spells out everything about a scene’s inevitable aftermath, long before we’ve ever got a chance to experience it. Matching Nolfi’s flat direction, nearly beat for beat, the conversations in this movie feel so compromising with unappealing personality or exploration in the depths of the characters, and though the aforementioned 90-minute run time keeps the script from fully committing to these characters and the world that was, before the untimely arrival of these beastly creatures, there’s measures to enhance accessibility on the part of the audience that the screenwriters never attempt, with three different writers summoning three adversely confrontational approaches.

OVERALL
‘Elevation’ has all of the potential of a gripping science fiction thriller, with intoxicating visuals and creature creativity, but ultimately feels uninterested in elevating its material towards succeeding a slew of superior predecessors that dug deeper. Strangely enough, the film feels geared towards shopping for a sequel that it undoubtedly will never attain, in turn leaving some unanswered questions during a conflicting climax that defines its flatness during the moments they can be felt the loudest.

My Grade: 5/10 or D+