13º Andar

For some time I have been hearing people refer to to The 13th Floor, mostly when comparing to other movies of the genre like The Matrix. I finally got around to view it myself, and I was positively surprised. After seeing Matrix I and II, its hard to imagine a film that can be on par. The 13th Floor is it. Not in action, stunts or CG, but by presenting an old, yet interesting idea in wonderful pictures and a genre between sci-fi and mystery. The main protagonists "calmness and integrity" contrasts with the absurd situation the characters are in. Camera, lighting and the "textures" are excellent and the sound track perfectly completes the unique atmosphere.

Very recommended!

The film, without an A-list cast, pulls off the plot well. The characters, although not really deep, are well structured, and the plot constructed with subtle complexity. The 1930s scenes are dramatically created. I found myself trying to guess the plot twists, but with little success as they unfolded. It was a good film, and richer in substance than the Matrix, and left you with a thought provoking afterthought about our own existence. Going into a movie, I hope to have avoided any prior information about the plot, and this one was well worth the purchase of the video. This could have made a great 3 hour movie to really develop the characters and the philosophical issues, however, it was reduced down to the 100 minutes time-span. I'd give it 8 out of 10.

A small simulation set in 1937 has been created. Our main character discovers that his recently murdered partner (the simulators creator) has been using the simulation before its release for human trial. He also discovers that a message has been left in the system for him to find. A message that promises to ultimately change everything.

I recommend this film to all those who enjoyed eXistenZ etc. Fans of David Lynch will not be disappointed either. If you are a great fan of Lynch, then you will see this as an easy to follow film that has some nice turns and twists without forcing you to pause and rewind or watch again.

The film manages to persuade you of the complex simulated world without spending too much of its budget on special effects, unlike the matrix, which ultimately destroyed itself by its overdone sequels. Great set of actors here too. Ones that deserve the job title "actor" and have many creditations to their name.

I am surprised that this little effort hasn't been more popular since it manages to get a complex story line and make it very easy to follow without becoming bogged down with the characters explaining each scene (ergo the matrix).

Overall, definitely one to watch and one to own.

The Thirteenth Floor is one of those films that has gotten lost under all the more well-known films of the late nineties; and this is a shame, because it's a damn sight better than a lot of the films that always receive praise from the critics. Not everything in this film works, and for that reason and others; it's no masterpiece, but you've got to admire The Thirteenth Floor for it's originality, and it's ability to pull a coherent plot out of a scenario that has 'disaster' written all over it. The film is based on the book "Simulacron-3" by Daniel F. Galouye, which is the same book that inspired Rainer Werner Fassbinder's "World on a Wire". Whether or not this version is better, I can't tell you having not seen Fassbinder's version; but I can tell you that this version is worth seeing. The film follows the death of a computer programmer. He was working on a computer simulated world before his death, and his colleague; Douglas Hall, believes that the programmer left the key to discovering his murderer inside the virtual world...prompting him to go in search of it.

The film works both as an entertaining science fiction flick, and a thought provoking drama. The film asks questions about the value of life and the ills of playing God; and although these questions have been asked by many films many times before; here, it's done so well that you forget that and ask yourself these questions all over again. The twist at the centre of the movie extremely well worked, and after it hits you'll ask yourself how you didn't guess it sooner - and that is testament to the excellent plotting preceding it. Despite being a science fiction film, there is very little in the way of special effects in this film. However, the movie makes up for this with the excellent way that 1937 Los Angeles is created - it's easy to buy into the film's multi-world plot, and for that reason; it doesn't need special effects to work. The acting is largely good, with Craig Bierko impressing in the lead role. Vincent D'Onofrio, Gretchen Mol and 24's Dennis Haysbert, who is excellent in his small role, support him. On the whole, this isn't brilliant or a masterpiece; but as far as modern Sci-Fi goes; this is one of the best I've seen.

"The Thirteenth Floor" is among the best and most thoughtful sci-fi ever made. The plot is intelligent and unfortunately many said "professional critics" did not understand the complex story and wrote bad reviews (Metacritic 3.6?). Yesterday I watched this film for the second time, and it is still impressive and engaging. Disregard the bad reviews and enjoy this underrated gem. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "13º Andar" ("13º Floor")