Reviver

I didn't read any reviews or see a trailer before watching so I had no preconceptions. Afterwards after reading the other 4 reviews I wondered what the really good reviews saw in this film. My guess is that maybe they expected a film that was less competently made, or maybe they expected a less serious film - and were surprised at how well made and serious this was. My guess also is that the obvious flaws of the film were overlooked or not noticed by them because of how well put together it is, just a guess. The problems with this film outweigh the good production and good story. Those problems are: the slow pacing; repetitiveness; morose lead actor; lack of anything stimulating and generally a drag. To give an analogy I would compare this to a college lecture by a really smart teacher who is really good at explaining the lessons but is dry and pedantic and puts students to sleep vs. an entertaining teacher who keeps students on the edge of their seats. While I am not asking this movie to be Transformers, still the script needed much more work before this was made. The story is interesting and with I imagine a limited budget they were able to pull off an impressive production, but with a boring script it ends up being a waste of time since it is so repetitive and really does not go far enough story wise. This would have worked well as the first 40 minutes of a different story, as it stands it will leave most people cold and few will stay to the end, and if they do most of them will regret it since nothing exciting or entertaining ever happens. It moves slowly and dull till the end.

A thoughtful , original and clever Science fiction with little special effects dealing with a successful and sympathetic artist called Marc : Tom Hughes , but he is really an ill of cancer who chooses cryogenic freeze to wake up in a remote future , as he hopes to be thawed and go on his life. The painter Marc sadly says goodbye to the love of his life , Naomi : Olga Chaplin, but 68 years later he discovers many surprises due to things doesn't occur in the idyllic terms he dreamed earlier dying. Immortality is only a matter of time !

"Realive" is an intriguing and thought-provoking futuristic movie blending past , present and future, including a lot of flashbacks. In the film there is intense drama , philosophy , suspense , a long love story , but it results to be slow-moving and that's why is a bit boring and tiring , though the runtime is adjusted . This pessimist picture isn't an ordinary Sci-Fi , but an intelligent , brooding parable about immortality . It is a serious and cold Sci-Fi in the wake of "Code 46" or "Gattaca" . As the narrative could have been better , but the interpretation , filmmaking and compelling backdrop are all strong . It pays tribute to "Martin Scorsese's The Last temptation of Christ" with Willem Defoe in the emotive scenes when Lazarus is brought back to life . Mateo Gil direction is pretty acceptable , however , displaying some failures , inconsistent developing throughout this strange output , but he gives an usually nice bet it you want to attempt something different if not wholly successful . Performances are uniformly good , as Tom Hughes as the young who becomes the first risen cryonized body in the history mankind , the young Brit woman and Charles Chaplin's granddaughter , Oona Chaplin, as his intimate sweetheart , the French Charlotte Le Bon as the nurse who cares for him whenever he was sick or useless , Julio Perillan as Dr. Serra , Barry Ward as West , Bruno Sevilla , Melina Matthews and cameos from Tony Corvillo and Willem Defoe .

It contains an atmospheric and adequate ciinematography by Paul Esteve . As well as sensitive and stirring musical score by Lucas Vidal . The motion picture was well and decently written and directed by Mateo Gil , though it packs some flaws . Mateo is a notorious screenwriter , as he wrote various films for Alejandro Amenabar as "Agora" , "Mar Adentro", "Abre los Ojos" and "Tesis" . And he has directed a few films as the interesting thriller : "Nobody Knows Anybody" , the romantic comedy "The Laws of Thermodynamics" and a twilight Western : "Blackthorn" . The yarn will appeal to intelligent science fiction movies enthusiasts . Rating : 6/ 10 . Acceptable and passable . Well worth watching .

Ambitious, not often successful story of a young man who made his way of life triumphantly,and who ,terminally-ill ,chooses cryogenic freeze , to be able to "realive" in the future when the science,in the shape of Dr West (a nod to the excellent "re-animator " feat. Jeffrey Combs ), is able to give him a second chance in another era .

Although there's numerous hints at religion (the Lazarus project :"lazarus ,come forth !"), the fact that immortality may make gain another world but lose your soul ;in fact ,you want to find back what you've lost , but time moves like a jet plane and it's a brand new world you have to face .

Thanks to a brand new technology ,you can record your memories (why not? A hundred years ago ,who would have thought of the computering revolution? ),but those memories are a jumble,for they come from every moment of your life ( cruelty to animals -the lizard and the hen-is gratuitous and pointless);besides , Naomi ,to do what she does ,must have experimented l'amour fou and nothing really shows it (unless a would be torrid sex scene counts);besides, Marc's impossibility to adapt himself to another way of life (the new sex lib is not that much new ,it recalls the hippies) is not fully exploited :it was already brillantly treated in Frankenheimer's sensational film ,"seconds"(1966)

This film is interesting but it is mainly a missed golden opportunity.

When Marc Jarvis (Tom Hughes) is diagnosed of an incurable throat cancer, the plans his life to commit suicide and keep his body cryogenically frozen in the Progeny Company awaiting for technology to revive. In 2084, he becomes the first man to be successfully revived by Dr. West (Barry Ward) and his team. The nurse Elizabeth (Charlotte Le Bon) helps Marc in his recovery and he learns that his beloved lover Naomi (Oona Chaplin) did the same expecting to live with him in the future. However Marc finds previous fails in the project with several casualties. Further, he is losing his only belongings – his memories – and he does not recover his previous health. Out of the blue, Marc takes a decision for Naomi and him.

"Realive" is a thoughtful sci-fi by Mateo Gil, the writer of the magnificent "Abre los Ojos". The story is interesting, approaching themes like ethics, afterlife without the original memories, adaptation to a future society with different moral and behaviors and so on. However the narrative is too cold despite the intriguing screenplay and the film does not work well. Marc Javis and Naomi should have been better developed in the beginning in order to make these characters likable. The hot Charlotte Le Bon is also wasted in a very limited character. Anyway, the story is original and provides a different view of immortality that makes the viewer think. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): Not available

It's more of a sad love story than a sci-fi!! Lack of drama, poorly written characters!!