The Beyond

The beyond is not a unique film, borrowing elements from Robocop, Europa Report, and other movies that strive for that real looking (but fake) documentary look. Robocop and Europa Report? Must be a good movie then, right? Wrong!

This movie drifts from idea to idea, and when it borrows - it forgets to borrow the most important film quality: Entertainment. I think this movie might be a good watch for people who multitask while a movie is on. Because whenever you take this movie in, there is generally something of visually interest. But actually sitting down, focusing and absorbing the content? One is pelted with a lot of unfocused ideas that kinda tell a story regarding future exploration and alien contact.

If there is one thing I really like about this movie is the optimistic take on the unknown, in this current era of intense social cynicism.

Ultimately though - I felt the film lacked a clear narrative, lacked consistent pacing, and has marginal success in terms of casting, acting, directing.

not unwatchable, but imo an average 5/10

Gillian LaRoux is a leading manager in the international Space Agency based in London. One day, an anomaly in space appeared over the sky and they name it The Void. Assuming it to be a wormhole, the agency is preparing a secret mission to explore the phenomenon. They use an experimental cyborg project where human brains are implanted into a cybernetic body called Human 2.0.

This is Arrival without Denis Villeneuve or 2001 without Kubrick. I don't know anything about writer/director Hasraf Dulull. He seems to have a few interesting ideas and some special effect skills although he has no skills in story telling. This is a movie layout by expositions more than a plot and any character development. First, Dulull introduces Gillian but she goes into the background. Every character does the same thing. Nobody has a personal story. Nobody sticks. It's just as well since these are day players. None of them has great charisma. The narrative is mechanical only to lay out the plot such as there is one. While I like the ideas and final reveal, this needs a story and fleshed out characters.

The Beyond is without a doubt one of the most boring films I've sat through in ages. I expected a sci fi thriller/horror, and instead got ninety minutes of dull scientific gobbledegook. So little happens, which is a shame as the ideas and concepts are huge. The acting is decent rather then good, it doesn't feel like a B movie in terms of acting, just in terms of everything else. The reason why I haven't scored this a two or three is because of the production values, this is a beautiful looking film, with some fantastic special effects, it looks like money was put into the production.

Overall it's not bad, it's watchable, mainly for the effects. 5/10

Lots of potential wasted here. There are neat cgi and cyber-human tech but the writing is ploddingly dull and inept. I was constantly being snapped out of suspension-of-disbelief by words used incorrectly, either miswritten or not picked up by the director editor.

Mysteries are perplexing, not complexing. Things that live forever are immortal, not mortal. You rose through the rank, you didn't 'rised'.

And everyone is so faux detached and pseudoscientific. Little or no emotional connection to or from anybody.

Dull as a congressional hearing.

Question: What sort of movie do you get when you have a visual effects supervisor write, direct and edit his own movie?

Answer: Why, THE BEYOND.

Hasraf Dulull, the writer, director and editor of THE BEYOND has a well established career as a visual effects supervisor and in many other roles generally revolving around visual effects. And, truth be told, the visual effects in THE BEYOND are superior in almost every respect. As one professional reviewer noted, Dulull is quite expert in executing visual effects "in ways that make the movies feel bigger than their budgets". Dulull has very much succeeded in making THE BEYOND "LOOK" like a science-fiction summer blockbuster. Unfortunately, THE BEYOND fails in every other aspect of professional moviemaking.

Not to put too fine a point on it, Dulull can't write, can't direct, and pretty much can't do anything else effectively when it comes to moviemaking OTHER than create superior visual effects. The storyline is appalling, any grasp of basic physics is missing entirely (sort of a failing in a science-fiction movie...), the majority of the acting is stiff and wooden at best, and so on. Glacially slow, THE BEYOND is literally painful to watch. Adding insult to injury, the movie concludes on an incessantly preachy note that is all but unstomachable.

I know that brutally negative reviews are not well received on IMDb and that this review will be condemned as "unhelpful". But this movie is what it is and one would have to lie to say anything else.

So A+ for visual effects and straight F's across the board for literally everything else for THE BEYOND.