Seven in Heaven

First half is good. Second half, not so much. The film creates a parallel universe only to break the rules it previously established. Is it truly a parallel universe...or is it a game show? I'm not sure even the writers know. The end result is a plot that makes little sense, dragging down the rating from an 8 to a 6. I did like the characters, however.

I'm not really sure what this movie is supposed to be about? I kept waiting for some cool plot twist to bring it all together and it never happened. The scenes didn't flow, creating a non cohesive storyline. These two kids go to some alternate reality, one person there knows what's going on, but the kids never ask him? Wouldn't that be your first question, what's going on? Overall, I thought the movie lacked character depth, lacked emotion, and lacked an actual plot. On the positive, the acting from the kids was okay, and the cinematography was good.

I liked it. It was announced as a horror movie, but that doesn't cover it at all, it's more a thriller, maybe you can even call it sci-fi, since the story deals with hopping through time and dimensions. On the other hand, that may make it sound too pretentious, it's actually a very small project, no special effects, just a few major characters, hardly any settings beyond a few houses and some streets, clearly a low-budget thing. But within these restrictions they did a very nice job, I found the story entertaining and original and the acting surprisingly good. I especially liked Travis Tope, he has this endearing Tobey Maguire quality and he is actually very funny. Don't mind the panning and sour reviews, just give it a chance, you'll be surprised.

As the movie Us (2019) came after this one, I'd have to say the inspiration may have been something like Coherence (2013), with a dash of Truth or Dare (2018). Unlike most people I didn't see Coherence as a revelation. I admire the originality of the idea, but from that idea the movie only goes so far as to create acting opportunities for the cast, much like an episode of Thank God You're Here (2006). Similarly, Seven In Heaven is an opportunity gone begging. It hasn't the abrupt violence, distortion and frantic tension of Us, or the dystopian dimension. The tension in Seven is blasé, and even a little illogical. The cover of the dvd puts one in mind of Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, but Seven lacks any special effects at all. Nor did Seven have the visceral horror dimension of Truth or Dare. These points are all opportunities that have gone begging. The writers and filmmakers needed something much more ambitious, hard edged and visual to really make this source material sing. It needed more time in the think tank. I thought the ending was a little cruel. That was what decided me to give this only a 6. I was certainly entertained, the premise and the actors did display skill, but I think that most people over the age 16 may think this movie a little tame by today's standards.

I actually like this movie. Of all the movies I've watched that make no sense at all, where things happen for no reason and nobody's behavior is ever explained, it's probably my favorite. That's really saying something. It sorta seems like, they got 99% of the way to making a really cool, fun teen sci-fi movie, but then, the editing guy was drunk and just ruined it at the very last minute. You can tell that if it had made sense, it would have been a really cool movie.

Plus, either way, it strikes a personal note with me, as when I was in high school, Gary Cole was my guidance counselor, and I never knew when I saw him whether he was going to try to help me or run me down with his car.