Zone 414

This is not a perfect movie by any means, however it is better than several of the harsh reviews it seems to be getting.

One reviewer even said "worse than 5th element", which seems like a odd comparison (also, who hates 5th element, and is into scifi?).

If you are at all into Neo-Noir, it is well worth the watch. A bit predictable, and not exactly cyberpunk. More near future I suppose. But maybe that is because of us inching closer and closer to a high-tech dystopia.

This film has good potential but misses the mark frequently.

The major criticisms are: some average acting (from all actors), linear plot, no connection to the characters, and a desire to push victim mentality throughout the film.

The film is clearly influenced by Blade Runner, however, I would say that it's quite different to Blade Runner as this film focuses mostly on characters rather than creating a detailed world. In theory, this should work, however, the dialogue is mostly exposition rather than giving you a sense of the characters. This isn't helped by average acting.

It's borderline as to whether or not it's worth watching. If I cared about any of the characters, it may be different.

It's a fun Bladerunner knockoff, but that isn't a bad thing.

The villain wasn't good, across from Guy Pierce, who is a great actor.

It could have been more visceral, but it wasn't. It could have been great, but it wasn't.

Still worth the watch.

This film had some amazing eye candy filler - especially for having a low 5m budget, but the story needed more substance and better pacing.

This is director Andrew Baird first full length feature film, and he did great. For an international (Irish) low budget indie film, it was better than some recent big budget Hollywood blockbusters I've seen lately. The cinematography by James Mather was outstanding, and even made basic inexpensive sets feel like that post-apocalyptic grungy future one would expect.

The 98 min runtime felt a little long with the slow pacing and progression of the story. The writing by Bryan Edward Hill had some plot and technical issues with some convoluted dialogue, and the screenplay could've used some tweaking by a seasoned writer. Had the film been cut down to about 85 mins with faster pacing, and/or had more grit and suspense with a little more character development, this could've been a cult classic.

The score I found to be excellent, especially for a B grade film. It was fitting, and certainly set the look and feel of the film appropriately. The performances were great by all, especially Fimmel, but I felt Pearce's character could've used more expression and energy.

Overall I did enjoy this better than I expected. I just wish that the story had some tweaking that could've made this great. It's a well deserved 7/10 from me.

Zone 414: A Blade Runnerish SF thriller set in near future UK. Guy Pearce is David, in the Deckard role and at one stage kills an android but that isn't his real job. He's hired by a billionaire to track down his missing daughter, Melissa. Matilda Lutz is a pleasure model android, more advanced than most, philosophises a lot about her predicament, sees a counsellor. But Lutz is no passive victim, she aids David when he arrives in Zone 414 where humans and android are allowed to interact. Thus begins a dark journey where both human and android life don't count for much. Olwen Fouéré is suitably sinister as the madam for the pleasure models. The budget wasn't quite high enough to achieve a full Cyber Punk aesthetic in Zone 414 (or the cities) but it's suitably run down and grim . A couple of plot twists and some rather violent scenes. Directed by Andrew Baird from a screenplay by Bryan Edward Hill. Saw it on Virgin Media Movies. 7/10.