The Mind's Eye

Imagine if David Cronenberg had just a 100 IQ. This then is what Scanners would've looked like. It doesn't suck, but it's not all that impressive either.

Unlike Scanners, there is no cerebral subtext. What you see is what you get and nothing more. One thing that drove me sorta nuts watching it is that the characters will announce that some course of action is not a good idea and then proceed to do just that. They also engage in fights to the death, where they get the upper hand, but then do not finish off their opponents. Guess what happens.

The lead actress and the score are pretty good. Plus, the general storyline is interesting, the foreboding atmosphere is well maintained, and the practical gore effects are impactful. All in all, I'd probably rather just rewatch Scanners, but that said, you could do a lot worse than watching this homage/ knockoff/ what-have-you.

To call The Mind's Eye a homage to Scanners might be stretching it. A reboot of the Scanners series, maybe. In the long run, this movie is a decent thriller that would probably wow those who never saw the Scanners series. One thing that annoyed me regarding the patients VS the guards is there wasn't any conflict. All the patients had to do was stare down the guards, and that's that. The one guard near the end had it right. He told the lead patient to stare down at the ground or else! It didn't work, but it was a better solution to handle the patients.

Here's a first for yours truly: a review of a yet-to-be-released film that's currently making the festival circuit. The 'secret movie' and highlight of Brooklyn's Nitehawk Cinema's Halloween 'Nite to Dismember'celebration turned out to be director Joe Bego's follow-up to "Almost Human," the very 80's (particularly Steve Moore's wall-to- wall electronic soundtrack) "The Mind's Eye." What "Turbo Kid" is to 80's post-apocalyptic movies "The Mind's Eye" is to David Cronenberg's "Scanners": a contemporary homage that looks/sounds like the genuine article, right down to the ugly-looking logo of the institute at the center of the intrigue. Per Begos' representative at the screening, the director's aim was to make the sequel/follow-up to "Scanners" that he feels the actual "Scanners" sequels didn't live up to. It takes an awful lot of trouble for "The Mind's Eye's" psychokinetic characters to flex their mental muscles. A simple ax or gun seems to do the trick better for most of the film. Even though it mercilessly teases early on that big exploding heads and psychokinetic duels are coming, it's not until the final act that "The Mind's Eye" truly goes berserk in a good way. You know, like "Rabid" and "The Brood" and, yes, "Scanners."

Personally I feel "The Mind's Eye" has some shortcomings in the casting of its leads. Either that or Begos deliberately went with actors that feel miscast (Graham Skipper) or way over the top (John Speredakos) to match similar bad casting in Cronenberg's late 70's/early 80's films. That would be an even more meta tribute to the Canadian master of body horror than the "Videodrome"-like opening titles/fonts that start the movie. At least the supporting cast is populated with low-budget horror luminaries, from Larry Fessenden ("I Sell the Dead") and Jeremy Gardner ("The Battery") to Noah Segan ("Starry Eyes") and Lauren Ashley Carter ("The Woman"). For a 2015 low-budget film that sets its story in the early 90's (which makes it feel closer to Cronenberg's prime decades) the action is decent and the deaths/gore off-the-charts groovy, something "Scanners 2 & 3" definitely skimped on. For fans of body horror missing the old Cronenberg now that the genuine article is doing mostly psychologically-heavy stuff (not that I'm complaining), "The Mind's Eye" will make for a pleasant and entertaining evening's entertainment. Me and the Nitehawk Halloween crowd really dug it.

Too often I make the mistake of being captivated by a film's poster. The amount of movies I've seen based purely on their poster is higher than I'd care to admit. And alas, once again I've made the mistake. 'The Mind's Eye' has a clever, eye-catching poster indeed, but the film can in no way live up to it. In fact it doesn't even come close. It's a snoozefest. Evidentally psychokinesis does not make for a very good film subject.

The entire plot revolves around an insane doctor who wants psychokinetic powers for himself. Though the audience can't help but wonder, why? What exactly is this going to add to your life? What about having these powers could possibly be worth the effort and sacrifice you are clearly going through to get them? It just doesn't make any sense. Then add in the fact that the two protagonists are about as unlikable and dull as film characters come and you're left with a pretty unwatchable product. Director Joe Begos seems aware he doesn't have the strongest script (dispite having written it himself) and seemingly tries to make up for in the final third with excess gore, but even that falls flat with a lack of originality. There's really not a whole lot to see here.

This entire film was very slow. Nothing really happens besides some brief action every now and then. The acting is mediocre at best and the plot is very derivative. The only good part is the film's third act, which features some cool gory kills. The effects aren't the best but they're definitely gory enough to prevent the movie from being a complete waste of time. If the only reason you want to watch the movie is the gore, then skip to the last 20 minutes, you won't miss anything.