Du kannst nicht entkommen

No, this isn't "Robocop" and by "arresting" we mean it held our attention when so many made-for-TV sci-fi efforts send us scurrying for the remote. The world-as-virtual-reality theme isn't brand new, tho' this film beats the Matrix pictures to the idea by several years. What impressed us was the way that idea is executed, in that residents of a small, desert community only see the pretty, neat little town around them, when it's just an illusion, broadcast to the populace by a local transmitting station. One day a successful young exec starts noticing cracks in the virtual facade and begins to discover what is real and what isn't with the help of a plucky librarian. The reality, when they find it, comes as a shock to protagonists and viewers.

There are really 2 virtual realities in this world: the pretty facade most see and a horribly grubby one deliberately beamed to those jaded souls who seem to think things are supposed to look that way. The "real world," when it's finally revealed, seems half way between the two illusions, in that everything seems to be beige, pre-fab and of unimaginable blandness. We weren't sure if all the virtual realities made sense even in the context of the story, like when the hero first notices his little town isn't what it seems, he sees the horribly grubby "reality" instead of the merely bland one the ending reveals to be the truth, but all in all, for sci-fi fans, this film is entertaining and worth a look.

The Congress (2013) claims to be inspired by Stanislaw Lem's novel, but this movie is much closer and is a much better movie. You should also watch The Thirteenth Floor (1999) and Star Trek Voyager S02E03 Projections.

On viewing Virtual Nightmare numerous other films came to mind. Total Recall, The Stepford Wives, The Wizard of Oz and also The Matrix. Despite this, the film did not seem that derivative and for me exists in its own right as an original.

The premise underlying the film was more believable to me than The Matrix, which I could not take seriously. The fact that there were no really big names in the film added to the charm and I was not focused on a Bruce being Bruce, or Arnie being Arnie. I could concentrate on the film itself rather than the star.

There were a few surprises along the way and I never lost interest for a minute. Though having said that there were some gaps in the plot and the ending was ultimately a little unsatisfactory, in the same way that Total Recall was. It was not quite up to the high standard of what had gone before.

The film seemed to convey to me the dangers of over eager consumerism and small-minded indifference to anything beyond our own doorstep. I would certainly watch it a second time in the near future and maybe again sometime in the distant future, but for me it is not a film to watch over and over again. Highly enjoyable though and evidence that you do not need a huge budget or a big name to create something worthwhile.

I'm one of the folks completely underwhelmed by the Matrix series' "Let's bankrupt-the-Studio!" mindset toward oppressively massive SFX. I like movies that make you think and which DO NOT rely on massive amounts of gunplay and car wrecks.

Virtual Nightmare, like its true inspiration, THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR, is such a film.

I saw this on cable awhile back when I had absolutely nothing else to to do. For a low-budget TV movie, this one is interesting, thought provoking, and over-all good.

The plot is along the lines of books (and their movie adaptations) 1984 or BRAVE NEW WORLD, with some key ingenious changes that make the film unique and interesting. It is sometime later in the 2000's, and the world is perfect and sugar-coated - or at least seemingly perfect. There are some strange things in this perfect. People can buy "brand new" cars (most of them from the '50s and '60s) and the music used is mostly from the '50s. On top of this retro world there's modern appliances such as a wide-screen TV's, and the main character, Dale Hunter, is a advertising agent working on a new project, Arora (purposefully mispelled). But when Dale starts seeing strange things, like numbers and labels written over everything, he begins to suspect something is wrong. He and a librarian, Natalie (who also shares the opinion that something is wrong), try to uncover the truth behind their perfect world.

None of the actors seem to be very well known, but they show how talented they can be in this movie. The plot is well developed (though in the middle of the film, it got a little confusing). And the special effects are good, especially for a movie with such a low budget. The only problem I have with the movie is the ending. It seemed rushed and unrealistic. For the rollercoaster ride the movie was with so many twists and mind-challenging ideas, the ending seemed a little unsatisfactory.

Great movie, and one of the best TV movies that I've seen. If you can catch this movie on TV, I recommend that you watch it. It's an entertaining and interesting movie. Something that a lot of similar films, with even higher budgets and bigger stars, fail to achieve.

Rating: 8/10