Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Project X; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 1.75
Direction: 1.50
Pace: 1.50
Acting: 1.25
Enjoyment: 1.25
TOTAL: 7.25 out of 10.00
Project X surprised me by being a solid espionage thriller and whodunnit set in the future. The bad news is we humans never find a way to "just get along".
In 2118 the world leaders are still at one another's throats, and the threat of violence is high. Special Agent Hagen Arnold has been dispatched to the East to uncover the latest threat to the West. Regrettably, on his return, he is injured in an aircraft accident and is placed in cryogenic sleep by his superiors. His last hurried message implored that "within fourteen days the West would be destroyed". The scientists running the cryo-centre, by necessity and under the order of the intelligence service, inject all frozen agents with a serum that eradicates the patient's memories. But now, it's imperative to retrieve Arnold's recollections to save the West. Enter Project X. A multisystem to rebuild the patient's matrix and force their minds to remember. It's this method that adds potency to the narrative. The writers don't just have the guy hooked up to a computer that can read his brain waves. No. To retrieve the memories, they create an alternate persona (matrix): this has to be something personal to the patient. In this case, it's a crime that happened in the 1960s. An era that Arnold had been obsessed with and was studying. For the experiment to work, everything has to be genuine to the period. Using this complex procedure allows for more interest and suspense. It's a clever idea, and I loved it - so much so I may have to look for the Leslie P Davis novels. One of the best things in the story is the characters. Though they are slightly stereotyped, they work brilliantly to drive the story forward. I particularly enjoyed the twist in the reveal.
Project X is your typically filmed sci-fi flick. It's colourful and bright, and, as such, it was a pleasure to watch. The one thing that raised a smile to my lips was the elevator doors. Yeah, I know that sounds strange; but I love Star Trek The Original Series, and these doors P-Swoosh open with exactly the same sound - so that was a happy Sunday Afternoon bonus. William Castle isn't too bad a director, but this picture has the feel of a Sci-Fi series. While I enjoyed the unfolding story, I couldn't help but remember The Time Tunnel, Lost In Space, Land Of The Giants, and the like. And the segments set in the fake 1960s had the atmosphere of The Fugitive. All of these are great TV shows, and it was a delight to have those reminiscences - they added a nostalgic atmosphere to the movie. Another bonus was the animated and camera effects used to demonstrate the recalled memories. When I saw that Hanna Barbera was employed to complete some segments, I wondered if The Hair Bear Bunch or Scooby Doo would make a cameo appearance. Luckily they don't, but the artists are used to render some of the memories. And these effects work well to add a strange futuristic look to the memory screen, which has a naturalistic though artistic impression when idol.
The cast is composed of familiar television and movie actors. Though none were massive stars, they were all popular, and you should recognise many. As with the aforementioned TV Shows, the cast works splendidly together, and none tries to outshine any of the others. Because most of them have to portray a couple of characters, themselves in the present, and the factual individuals of the 1960s it allows them to spread their acting wings a little more, making the film more enthralling and enjoyable.
If you are looking for a movie to pass an afternoon, you could do worse than Project X. If you're like me and remember and enjoyed the TV Shows I mentioned, then you'll relish this Sci-Fi Spy flick, as I did - and may do again.
Now, while the scientists concoct an antidote, come on over and check out my The Final Frontier list to see where I ranked Project X.
Take Care & Stay Well.
