In/mortal

In recent times it seems like a sci fi thriller is a tricky movie to master, and whilst I don't pretend that Self/less mastered it, it's a very watchable and enjoyable movie.

'Billionaire Damian, a man responsible for enormous business deals, a big figure with the ability to buy whatever he wants, but not the thing he needs, a cure for cancer.

I really did enjoy this movie, the concept was a good one, it was a clever plot. There were enough surprises and plenty of intrigue to keep you wondering.

If I had one little niggle, it's that for me after the transformation to Reynolds it felt like a different film, it didn't feel seamless, maybe that was intentional, I felt they could have delved into the transition a little deeper, it seemed to happen to quickly.

Lots of action scenes, really well directed, the effects were great too. I wish Google searches worked so quickly for me, Pumpkin Towers (All I'm saying. 11,300,000 results,) my he was lucky.

Brilliantly acted, Kinglsey naturally has gravitas, he's so watchable. Ryan Reynolds was excellent I thought, I really enjoyed his performance, Matthew Goode I thought was outstanding, managing to be sinister without overplaying it. I love Michelle Dockery, but she was a little underused, just a bit part.

8/10 Very watchable, surprisingly so.

Billionaire Damian Hale (Ben Kingsley) is on top of the world until he runs into a problem he can't solve, Cancer. His only hope is a new medical procedure called "shedding," in which his consciousness is transferred to a healthy body. After Damian undergoes this procedure, he becomes a man named Edward (Ryan Reynolds). Once he attempts to start a new life in New Orleans, he starts to become ravaged by visions of his new body's past. As he begins to investigate the origin of his new body, he learns the lengths that his creators will take to protect their procedure and keep their identities secret.

The film, I will admit, introduces an original concept that not many films have covered. It's a shame that it does not stay with it for very long. We start off with older Damian coming to terms with where he is in his life and with his condition and then the film pivots to more of an action film as younger Damian/Edward investigates his roots through his visions and survive its resistance. It was a shame that more time wasn't spent with the older version of Damian. This loss created a void in the story. It would have been better if we could have spent more time with him so his character could be more developed. From the little we got to see, he appears to not be that great of a person. If we knew more, we would have reason to root for him. The time spent during an unnecessary sequence in the middle could have helped with that. There is a lack of consistency in the character of Damian as well. The character is played by 2 different actors but their performances are not the same. There seems to not be any apparent, similar, alignment in mannerisms between the two Damians, they don't act too similarly either. That could either be because of writing, Ryan Reynolds' performance, and/or not too careful direction. The film had the chance to try to answer some philosophical questions relating to the value of human life or the morality of valuing a life over. When you start to wonder if this whole "shedding" procedure is even possible, you are forced to accept that it is. Instead of being about Damian coming to terms with his new body and life, it chooses the path of gun fights and car chases. This is the moment when the film falls into the realm of mediocrity. It isn't revolutionary. The twists will not come as much of a surprise either. The film managed to keep my attention but I would of preferred it to cover more of the philosophical issues relating to the procedure. The film has a good idea but it could have been portrayed in a different/better way.

'SELF/LESS': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A sci-fi thriller/action flick starring Ryan Reynolds and Ben Kingsley. The story revolves around a dying businessman who has his consciousness transferred into the body of a younger, and much healthier, man. It was directed by Tarsem Singh (the man also responsible for the popular 2000 horror flick 'THE CELL') and written by David and Àlex Pastor. The movie also stars Matthew Goode, Natalie Martinez, Derek Luke and Victor Garber. The filmmakers do very little with their interesting ideas; but they do deliver a fun, and stylistically thrilling, action flick.

Kingsley plays Damian, a wealthy, and very successful, businessman; who's dying from cancer. A secret, groundbreaking, science organization offers to give him a new body; to extend his life. After going through with the procedure Damian is thrilled with his newfound youth, and very physically fit body, but he quickly learns that his happiness came at the expense of someone else's (the man who's body he took). Damian feels extremely guilty for taking another man's life from him, and he wants to set things right. The special organization will stop at nothing though, to protect their business.

The movie starts out as a pretty intriguing science-fiction thriller; similar movies have been done before but it did seem somewhat fresh and unique. It doesn't really develop into much though, as it prefers to entertain it's audience with stylistically cool action scenes; instead of story and character development. Singh is a very visually satisfying director to watch though, and I really like the dark style and mood of this movie. It's hard to give it credit for a lot more than that; but it is an entertaining, and somewhat thrilling, action flick.

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This film tells the story of a real estate tycoon who is terminally ill. He undergoes a procedure that transplants his mind into a new body, which continues his life in a different way. Yet, when he experiences unfamiliar flashbacks, he decides to investigate the origins of these intrusive memories.

The plot examines what it is like if there are mind transplants, and it does so very well. It provokes much debate towards the ethical issues on this controversial procedure. During this process, there is much adventure, including thrilling cat and mouse chases and lots of combats. It blends science fiction and action thriller very well together, captivating my attention and making me on edge very often. I really enjoyed it.

Well I definitely had fun watching Self/less. I was just expecting a mystery thriller but it is more science fiction then mystery. The movie is different from the usual stuff we see. A nice innovative script about what almost everybody would want, immortality. Of course it's only available for the super rich. If it would ever happen in real life that's how it would turn out also. Only the super rich can afford everlasting youth. The movie is very entertaining. You never get bored for one second. A lot of action, a couple twists, and good acting from the whole cast. Ben Kingsley doesn't play a large role at all, it's Ryan Reynolds that has the major role and he does it very well. Self/less deserves a higher rating then it actually has on IMDb. Give it a shot if you like something refreshing.