Seven in Heaven

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.

Strange story but entertaining enough. Fine to watch as long as you don't take it too serious.

I was going to write a longer review but it's not necessary. All you need to know about this flick is that they don't do anything interesting with the dimensional travel concept. Nothing of any particular consequence happens when the kids travel to the other dimension, and it's full of awkward discrepancies and inconsistencies. Nearly all questions it raises are left unanswered. The few answers it gives are completely mundane and make you wonder why this movie was even made. Anything they introduce that seems suspicious and/or like will be integral to the plot later turns out to neither be explained nor necessary to the plot. The characters face only the most rudimentary of trials and there is no payoff whatsoever. I'd love to hear how exactly the writer sold this movie. "Ok so check it out- we've got these kids at a party and then they travel to another dimension. The dimension is basically the same but different...somehow. Anyway they basically just run around for a while and are confused and then eventually they come back and yeah. Well...that's pretty much it right there". Wow, doesn't that sound so great? Oh, and a solid 1/3 of this is basically an entirely different movie which covers the rest of the kids at the party. The majority of that part is the cops trying to get into the house and the kids saying no, then every so often they bring the parent of one of the kids to come yell at them- even though none of these characters was previously introduced nor are they mentioned again making it all feel very tedious and pointless. Avoid this. I love this type of movie where the characters and audience are challenged to question reality, but this one doesn't deliver in any way.

Slick, fun and efficient, 'Seven Minutes' is a highly produced and polished teen sci-fi fantasy. The film manages to engage the viewer and build pace quickly, and doesn't complicate the plot with the whys and wherefores of the lead protagonists' multiversal predicament. 'Heaven' manages to dip its toes into darker waters than the typical teen party genre flick, but ultimately pulls its punches to keep on the the conservative side of the PG13 fence. Whilst it definitely channels Back to the future's multi-timeline spirit, '7' is not quite of the same caliber. Solid Halloween fun for the family, with a few jolts and a possible sense of edginess for younger audience members, but don't make it the feature film of the night.

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.