Control Factor

I've been having an ongoing conversation with a friend of mine who has conflicting comments about specific episodes of Stargate Atlantis when the rare gems of hard scifi scripts appear. This film is like one of those episodes.

It is rare to see a good script turned into something with stars, cash and the promotion behind it. This particular Baldwin is most definitely a blockbuster actor and I don't feel the 'family curse' extends to him. With more money you might feel this movie could be right up there on the billboards. Unfortunately it is hard scifi and the masses wouldn't cope with it. They want the softer, soapier stories and if that is what gets the blanket scifi genre out there as a viable product, so be it.

But every so often, there comes a tvseries or film that gives us hard scifi fans so much enjoyment that we collect together and make our views known. This film has its faults. The soundtrack feels separated from the lacking environmental sounds, the ending seems a bit rushed. There are many things that could be done better and a lot of these things appear to be to do with camera angles/direction and timings of specific shots/scenes.

We don't say everyone must immediately watch this or that DVD. We are here however unanimous in saying, "Control Factor is a gem of a movie for the hard scifi crowd and not to be missed even with its faults!"

The film is a low budget one and no amount of acting could have saved it. Adam Baldwin does a fair job, Elisabeth Berkley... well, I never liked her, Tony Todd is amazingly old in this movie, I've always liked him, but in this film he is not that great. One can even recognize John Neville, in his usual god-like role.

However, it did manage to keep me on edge, mostly because it is such an outrageous concept. Once you dared put yourself in the same place with the main character you cannot but wonder "what if this is really happening?". You won't get the answer from a movie, but I know enough to know that it is definitely possible.

In the end, if you get over the disgusting racial issue of the "black posse", you ignore the religious babble that seems to infect the movie ending and you try to cope with the bad acting of some people, you get a reasonable movie.

Oh yeah, nearly forgot, cell phones are NOT the enemy! I need my cell towers! :)

It's a remarkable movie not by realization (could be better) but for ideas, as in Matrix 1, Truman Show, Das Experiment, 1984, etc. In my opinion one of the best and also with a good idea to start, we know they will always try to subdue us and forcing us working without freedom, or the possibilities of even think something against the regime. But also we must know that if we don't react every time our freedom is broken, we will finish being slaves. We are partially but not 100%, they want 100%, they don't accept less, but something more, they even want that we must be grateful towards them for the chance of working until death for corporations, greed, money, or power of leaders. Think about this when the age of retirement will become 70 years old or over. The meaning is for most of us starting to work at 20 or less we must fulfill 50 years of working and for majority hard working, just to have the right to stop finally at 70 (if in life then) and hopping few years to enjoy the loans, the home buy ed in 50 years or more, the divorce because the lack of time or too much stress provoked by job, the death of someone loved because lack of money or lack of social security, trying to forget drug or alcohol problems caused also by the job and many many more, finally thinking is there a little percent left until 100% or we are already there with factor or no factor control. The most important factor control nowadays is not the microwave, but the money seeing the financial crisis now is not such incredible thing, doesn't it? It's enough to think back how often crises was, what reasons for wars was, for military intervention, for cold war, you name it, but most of it just think who get a use of this? Because we, the normal, poor peoples with normal problems (could say daily problems not provoked by acquisition of a new yacht, or a new mistress) we have nothing to win au contraire. And who then, maybe the banks (just an element of taking profit of all trades) the oligarchies, the governments, the key persons of worldwide organizations, corporates ones? In conclusion a must see movie with a cold water douche effect. Waakeeeeeeeeee uuuuuuuuuuuup!

Control Factor is one of those films that makes you wonder. "What if a big name director took this project under their wing?" I asked myself. Sadly that didn't happen but what the resulting film still makes one of the best movie of the weeks i've ever seen. Nelson did a great job with the budget and the movie turned out to be a quickly paced thriller that has an actual theme (sadly unlike most of Sci Fi channels "saturday action" originals.) Adam Baldwin, Tony Todd and Elizabeth Berkley did a wonderful job and their was not a bad role acting wise in the entire movie. While the movie lacked some action (probably due to it's tight budget) it did provide some bang, a few nice visuals and was compelling right up until the end. In the end if your looking for a decent sci-fi thriller and this is on, your search has ended.

Another variation on the popular mind control theme, and a good one, with a strong expressionist leaning in kind of a somewhat De-Palma-esquire style. Emphasis on action and suspense amplified by a battery of artful shooting tricks.

The story is simple, but good enough. Excellent photo and sequencing, nice acting by Baldwin and Berkley in their not very difficult roles, some good surprises. Flawless job, a bit thin, a bit unrealistic, no masterpiece, but a show of professional craftsmanship a good measure above average. And - Elizabeth Berkleys nice look IS an asset to count on - after all, movies a-r-e for watching, aren't they?

So, the technically high quality of the film makes it an effective opportunity to meditate on the philosophy of Free Will, and on it's political implications. There are no obstacles for the engaged watchers to supply some subtleties themselves by creative reflection. This good entertainment does not lack substance.