Omni Loop

Generally a fan of low budget indie high concept sci-fi movies especially ones that are interested in time travel. Going by the casting of Ayo (one of the most employed movie actors in the industry right now) it was understood that this would lean more towards the comedic aspect rather than something like Coherence or Time Crimes that investigates the scifi premise indepth.

This movie however fails to be a good ide driven scifi movie and as a comedy, even with a runtime of 1hr and 50 mins this feel thrice as long especially with the 2nd half of the film dragging excessively.

Just straight up avoid it.

It's quite a long movie for the content that is on offer. I found myself lagging after 45 minutes and never really regained the level of interest that I experienced at the start of the movie, and indeed, my interest wanned considerably after that.

Its not really a science fiction movie at all, more of a drama initially burgeoned with a science fiction narrative. The goundhog day theme is excercised fairly well and even though I rolled my eyes a little when this came into play in fairness its done well and doesn't give you that sense of fermented nostalgia that normally detracts from a screenplay.

I think the movie is half an hour too long, and the script and story needs to be condensed into something that doesn't cause your attention to stray and your patience to wear a little thin. Although Mary Louise Parker is pretty good, I found Ayo Edebir's style of delivery painful to experience. Her hesitant, stumbling, deliberately inarticulate manner of portraying natural interactioon is overplayed and irritating. I found the exact same issue with her portrayal of Sydney in 'The Bear' so this certainly seems to be a characteristic of he acting style rather than one of direction. There are no stand out performances here, the meterial is handled competently but never really ventures far above mediocre.

The 8-bit styled score thats overlayed throughout sections of this movie will give you flashbacks of you early Atari and Sega game systems and repeatinig piano sequences are a little threadbare in some places. It becomes noticeable at times, but its just another one of the poor factors at play which don't bode well for an viewing experience.

All this said, the main issue I found is the movie just drags and is without the excitement or key development events that are really needed to keep it interesting. A bunch of stuff happens but nothing signficant or essential that couldn't be omited without detriment. Its also worth mentioning that there is no big payoff or resoution in the ending, which isn't what you'd normally expect in with this type of repeating history endevour.

So, all that said, it's not a bad movie its just a bit... meh. It was interesting enough for me to watch to the end, (primarily because I wanted to see what eventually happened) but not good enough for me to be anything more than moderately interested after the first 20 minutes. It certainly works way better as a drama than a sci fi, but I think a bit of focus would probably have gone some way to making it a better production.

Truthfully there just isn't any payoff in watching this, it's a drama but without the emotional depth to bring it to the fore, its has a sience fiction theme, but witout any substance or investment in the science to peak the interest, and in all honesty you're better off giving it a miss.

5/10 from me.

'Omni Loop (2024)' is a low-key sci-fi dramedy about a dying woman who decides to finally try and reverse-engineer the time-travel pills she found as a child that have been allowing her to relive her final week over and over and over again. Despite the best efforts of Mary Louise Parker and Ayo Edebiri, both of whom are undeniably charming in this, the flick just feels ever-so-slightly flat. It's never quite as moving or profound as it's clearly trying to be, nor is it as funny or disarming as its mildly idiosyncratic and notably dry sense of humour initially indicates it will be. It all just plays out in a single, relatively uninspiring register. Still, it's never anything less than interesting and it's entertaining enough to keep you watching for its duration. While I can see why some people would find its end point disappointing, I personally feel that it's the only destination the affair ever even contemplated arriving at. As relatively minor as the experience is, it still feels like it's exactly what its creators intended it to be. I'm tempted to rate it higher because it is enjoyable in the moment, but it's undeniably a tiny bit underwhelming overall and I doubt it's going to stay with me for very long. Still, it's a solid effort that makes good use of its budget and cast to keep you engaged for its duration. It isn't great, but it's good enough for what it is.

I am such a sucker for a good sci-fi movie especially when it involves time travel. The setup and conundrum you get within the first 10 minutes. You only have to listen to the doctor giving Zoya her prognosis to understand that we are going to be stretching reality a little bit so enjoy the ride. The use of the Groundhog Day time travel concept is not original. The use of it to save a life is not original. The message that it presents about parenthood and the choices one makes along the road of life however are wholly its own. Beautiful storytelling and the characters are well rounded and multi dimensional. As a fan of fantasy storytelling mixed with sci-fi tropes I loved it and recommend it wholeheartedly.

First off, the movie is watchable. You can get to the end. You just need to turn off your expectation for answers. For those of you who like relationship and character drama, this is a great movie you'll enjoy.

This movie dangles some interesting tidbits the heavy scifi fan enjoys but would like a payoff on in explanation: a time loop, a black hole, a small man in a box who has been shrunk to subatomic levels. ALL of this is dropped halfway through for some thinking time and character development. While the plot is resolved, your questions about "why?" and "how does this work?" will go unanswered. The answers you do get will be arbitrary with little leadup to them.

Still, not a bad movie. I've seen worse with clumsier handling of science.