The Objective

The Objective is, in many ways, reminiscent of science-fiction movies of old, particularly the 70s. But whether it was intentional of Daniel Myrick or it simply is a coincidence, I wouldn't know. One thing is for sure, the real magic and strength of older science-fiction classics is not fully conjured here.

This small-budget movie's premise is simple but opens many possibilities. An elite military commando is sent on a mission in the tensed, war-torn present-day Afghanistan. They are led by a mysterious government operative. Their "Objective" is relatively unclear but considering the risks taken, the stakes must be high. As the story unfolds, the mystery remains and the plot thickens but we are still left with a sour taste as the development and tension doesn't pay off much.

There's a mish-mash of elements here that have been a success in other works and movies. Shades of The Andromeda Strain. Shades of Aliens. Shades of Space Odyssey, of Altered States and of old Bermuda Triangle Movies. More than anything, with just a little rework, this could have been a solid X-Files movie. CIA agent Ben Keynes could easily become FBI agents Mulder and Scully, which would have made things much more dynamic.

One of the biggest problem The Objective suffers from is an underdeveloped protagonist and cardboard peripheral characters. One of the secrets to the success of Aliens is that James Cameron, in a much busier storyline, was able to present his space marines as more than mere Alien-hamburgers. In just a few lines, or a few silent frames, we are exposed to colorful personalities and the various interactions between them. In The Objective, not only are the special force members absolutely bland, but they don't even interact in interesting ways with the plot or the main character. When a film-maker introduces characters that are obvious plot tools, I call this weak film-making. But when such characters aren't even effective tools, I call this awful film-making. And that's unfortunately the case here.

As for the actual plot... suffice it to say it is intriguing. A few hints are given here and there in the movie that might help figure out what the shocking resolution means. We are firmly in speculative science-fiction at times, much like old sci-fi. This makes this flawed movie a valid entry for fans of the genre but others would be better off passing.

This is still a solid effort by Daniel Myrick and commendable on an $8,000,0000 budget. But it seems a less ambitious, more tightly knit plot would have been preferable over too large a scope.

Should we follow these brave men on their objective, or should we go on the subjective and fail their mission?

The film is set in Afghanistan (don't know where it's actually filmed, though) and thus creates a believable atmosphere and setting. The story does not deviate from what we have come to expect in Military-Sci/Fi-things as of late, but still manages to set itself apart from the paranoia and suspicion evolving the CIA. The story is told through the main-character, on his journey to uncover the truth about some abnormal readings in a remote area of Afghanistan.

The main-character is, however, also my main problem. He is dry, he is extremely dry. Not showing emotions or even just humane reactions, he becomes a shadowy figure and, sadly, falls into the stereotypical role of an agent on a secret mission. His voice is monotonous and overall he lacks charisma. The other characters are as believable as they come. They actually seem like real people you would meet on the streets. Just that these guys are soldiers and not regular people.

The story is slow to evolve but as their sightings grow in both number and essence you'll find yourself wanting to know more. Only a few times does the film seem boring but as a whole, it's worth the wait to let it unfold. The story is not original, mind you, but what is these days?

Technically the film is sound. Nothing particular about it, really. It's mediocre and it's seems happy to be just that.

Anywho, give it a go if you want to kill off an hour and a half and not making it feel like a complete waste of time, but don't expect a film that'll save your day.

I was drawn in by the concept, though I think that people expecting a traditional ghost story may be a bit disappointed by the lack of exposition, plus the lack of a tidy conclusion that draws everything together. Much like The Blair Witch Project, the ending is ambiguous, leaving you to draw your own conclusion as to what just happened. If you happen to be familiar with Middle Eastern occultism and mythology, you'll probably recognize a lot of themes and concepts, but if your knowledge is limited to Disney's Aladdin, I think you'll be completely lost, due to the lack of exposition or explanation. The most interesting aspect to this movie, that draws it away from being your normal ghost story, is that the supernatural events are couched in terms of UFO lore. Are the antagonists insurgents? Ghosts? Interdimensional travelers? UFO aliens? Djinn? Who knows. In the end, it's not really all that important. It is the melding of these two similar yet disparate themes (contemporary UFO conspiracy theories and traditional mythology) that make this movie more interesting than if it had just gone one way or the other. The problem is that this is basically a rehash of The Blair Witch Project, with people descending into mutinous fist-fights, getting lost in areas that defy both maps and local knowledge (with the requisite compass going haywire), and straaaange symbols that seem to be part warning and part curse. In fact, I felt like I was watching a strange mix of The Blair Witch Project (which I disliked quite a lot) and Apocalypse Now (which I really enjoyed), with elements of Close Encounters mixed in, near the climax. I think this works better than BWP (partly because the acting was so horrible in BWP), but it still ultimately fails, because, like BWP, it's basically just a bunch of guys walking around, seeing increasingly spooky stuff, with no real payoff at the end. In that sense, maybe it's more of an "experience" than it is storytelling, and how much you enjoy this movie will probably hinge on whether you're looking for an interesting experience or conventional storytelling.

This movie is an amazing blend of science fiction, horror, and thrills.

A CIA agent recruits a couple grunt soldiers to track down a religious leader in Afghanistan to interview him.

But the soldiers soon find out that this is just a deception to lure them deep into a remote region of Afghanistan. What follows is a thrilling, scary, and exciting film that almost never lets up until the ending.

The writing is great, there are no over the top lines and long philosophical battles between characters, this is a movie about soldiers and they speak and act accordingly. The acting is fantastic, characters seems genuinely scared and nervous whenever appropriate. And the plot is a fantastic twist on the usual 'small company' war story movie as it adds elements of supernatural horror and psychological terror as the main antagonists instead of rival soldiers.

The cons are the slightly low budget special effects at some points, instead of showing poorly done CGI, I would have opted for the 'less is more' approach and focused on characters reactions to the supernatural phenomenon instead. The ending was a bit disappointing as well as there is very little concrete resolution but with some creative assuming and inference it is relatively obvious as to what happens to each individual character.

If you like horror or thriller movies or just want to see a fresh idea then absolutely give this movie a chance. It's a bit nerve wracking if you're watching it in the dark and definitely not for children. Adults however, especially those into film, this deserves at least rental.

"The Objective" is a really cool movie. You have a CIA agent working with military men in Afghanisthan, and weird, paranormal stuff happens. There's a sense of realism - which was probably Myrick's objective - that is very well done here. You feel like you're there with the guys, in that immense, isolated, mysterious space.

It's this sense of immersion and the suspense that propells me to give this movie a 6/10, purely because I really enjoyed it. But that's not to say it is without flaws; au contraire, the story is like a mechanical swiss cheese, with obvious, unavoidable and perhaps intentional plot holes - the problem is that some of them nearly ruined the film for me, and will certainly ruin it for the casual science-fiction fan.

So there you have it - I liked this movie and I'd recommend it - but I feel this movie could have been so much better if not for some serious flaws.

The painfully obvious first one is the narration, done by the main actor. Actually, there are two problems here - the protagonist seems miscast, or at least the actor seems to have a speech impediment problem. I'm not joking, he doesn't narrate, he... mumbles. I hope this was not intentional.

One complaint that I've seen in other reviews, but for me would be nit-picking, are about some of the visual effects. Not the FX themselves, but rather the use of them. Like many I feel some things are best left to our imaginations, and this movie is a nice example of getting this sort of thing wrong.

There's a fantastic scene in the middle of the movie that involves binoculars. In this scene, the "leave it to the imagination" part is incredibly scary. Here, it works. Later on, not so much.

I will only further comment on the ending, and I don't have many words to describe my reaction. In a way, it's a genius ending, and in another, you feel like you've been made a fool of. It's usually good to be left with a mystery, but sometimes it pisses people off, and sadly, this is the case with me and "The Objective".

I know I'll watch it again, though.

6/10