Beyond

The premise of this movie is pretty standard, the typical case of missing children and the psychic that see things and want to help the current cop in the case.

At the same time, it is pretty standard that the cop has a relation to the missing child case since he couldn't resolve his a long time ago. I am not stating something very crucial, since the movie is pretty obvious from start to end.

I am sorry to say, but, timing is not handled OK in this movie which leads us viewers to guess the ending miles ahead of it's time. If you're smart, you will find out pretty much everything in the middle of the movie, which is not a good sign for a creepy ghost/suspense/thriller.

Musician tried his best with the music based on the pretty linear script, visuals on this movie on the other hand are not good, there is no suspense whatsoever and even on the creepy parts, we found out that nothing is really happening on screen, we just know it "should" be a creepy part by the music, it's like the director didn't follow the musician's enthusiasm and left there all by himself!

Also, the movie doesn't take the topic very seriously, psychic powers i mean, since it is poorly handled and the creepy parts feels so rushed that just don't work on screen.

John Voight is the only actor who takes this movie seriously, the rest, sorry but they don't do a good job, not credible at least.

Don't get me wrong, this is not a horrible movie, it doesn't have inappropriate parts, it doesn't have violence nor bad language at all, it's very respectful of the viewer but, it just end up not being enough to save it from it's own demise.

A creepy movie that doesn't scare is not a good movie.

Almost fair movie, see it on cable if you don't have anything else to see, but don't have high expectations on it.

*** EDIT (2016-11-10) I happened to be re-reading about this film and I saw my review here and that it had a rather poor 6/12 rating with readers. Heh... they were bloody right! Gawd-awful review, sorry about that... So, I amended it and tried to improve it so that HOPEFULLY it might actually be of some help to those who want to know more about the movie.

***

I REALLY like the director's film 'THE 13TH FLOOR'; I thought it was beautifully done, the story was very engaging, and it was extremely entertaining, especially if you like Science Fiction. However, I get the feeling that his heart just was not completely in this one.

The scenery and photography are breathtaking; Alaska is truly a beautiful place! I do fully agree with the other reviewer here who stated that the principle actors did a decent job while the supporting ones were pretty cringe-worthy. I DID think that the psychic guy was okay; maybe I just liked his accent... BUT... the 'baby-sitter' and the husband were clearly blowing SOMEBODY because I cannot for the life of me imagine why they would ever, EVER be considered as serious actors in any film...

Probably, due to the established talent of the director, the movie technically was done in a fairly competent way. If you are not terribly demanding, and I mean really NOT demanding at all, then it is possible that you might actually find something to enjoy in this movie....

It is quite sad I think to see a great actor like Jon Voight looking so rough in his older years, especially when he was so good looking when he was younger; and he's not even really that old. But, that is the way it is with some people, I guess. Just kind of sad, that's all...

Anyway, sorry to digress... But, there's nothing really to get very excited about here. Unless of course the 'babysitter' goes back to doing porn like she was clearly born and bred for... : )

Seriously though, the film makes a moderately decent effort, but sadly it just doesn't seem to have the substance or quality that that the director has clearly demonstrated in the past...

After a seven-year-old with an 'imaginary' friend gets kidnapped, it's put high on the rader since she's the police chief's niece. So Detective John (Jon Voight),who's wrestling with demons from his past, reluctantly teams up with a TV physic, whom has wormed himself into the investigation, to find her.

This movie is only marginally watchable because of Voight. Everything else about the film is decidedly sub-par, be it the awful acting or the easily predictable plot 'twists'. I found myself glancing at my watch multiple times (never a good sign)

My Grade: C-

With a great cast and a possibly really neat twist on a tapped out genre, I thought BEYOND would be a great watch. Ugh. Everything was good except for the DIRECTION!! Which is everything. The energy of each scene was dis-jointed, and it seemed just silly the way things unfolded.

I also have to say there were many SMALL holes in this story. Little things... Like, the babysitter being dressed like a ho, no follow through on certain plot-lines that seemed important to the story. A bit of a mess...

Maybe with better editing this could have been better. When the big finale happens, half the ensemble doesn't even react to what should be the culmination of MUCH trial and effort. BAD DIRECTION. Let this director stick with his Wesley Snipes movies.

All in all I would say give it a watch. Jon Voight delivers as do all the main actors, with the exception of the young psychic. Totally miscast and unwatchable. Sorry dude.

If you enjoy interesting locations, want to feel like you've been to Alaska, and appreciate uncomplicated mysteries with good actors, give Beyond a peek.

The direction and script could have been better. Veteran John Voight carries the story. There's enough drama to keep you guessing, even if you think you know the end.

I loved seeing the chilliness of Alaska on a hot summer night. Many of the scenes were too dark to see well. I expected more emotion from the parents and thought the babysitter character could have either been left out or developed more.

It's better than reality TV, but not a film you will remember.