Gene-X

Anyone who has ever nodded off with terminal tedium over a medical novel from the likes of Robin Cook will respond to this genially sarcastic take on the cliché tale of young-medical-researcher-who-goes-too-far. Director Simpson - also, like George "Mad Mad" Miller, an MD -has read every one of these tedious tomes, not to mention seeing the films adapted from them, eg, COMA, LOOKER, and comes to the director's chair fully armed with the scalpel to dissect them. Addressing tropes familiar to readers of contemporary sf novels like Greg Bear's BLOOD MUSIC, he explores them with the same gleeful imagination that Peter Jackson brought to his pre-LORD OF THE RINGS films like BAD TASTE. Viewers savvy enough to tune into Simpson's wavelength will find GENE-X a diverting experience.

Gene X is a fast paced breakneck ride through turbulant emotional highs and gritty realistic lows, about the conflict we all face in our.....sorry i cant go on.

This is quite possibly the worst movie i have ever seen, and i complain about a lot of movies.The dialogue was stilted, hackneyed and sounds as if it was lifted from an abandoned production of "Apocalypse Now - The musical" circa 1988 ("it smells like the ocean" cue Kramer and his cologne).The soundtrack was too bad to be considered elevator Muzak, and even hard core ravers would be hard pressed to pop enough drugs to make this movie palatable.

I was left with a distinct feeling of unease, realizing that this was the movie i had awaited, that had screened in Cannes and that had several well known Australian "personalities".Finally i thought, a contemporary Australian film to demonstrate our ability to produce truly world class scripts, even if we cannot afford the Hollywood production values.Guess ill just keep waiting.

Having said that, it is worth watching just to see how truly awful it really is, i mean i was really quite amazed the producers didn't have there legs broken by irate investors.Or disgruntled movie fans.

In conclusion, this is a horrible cardboard work that will clash with you're aesthetic sensibilities and quite possibly give you cancer.Which apparently had something to do with the disjointed story the tacked on to keep the scenes appearing "logical".

truly, truly awful, but 2 points for being Australian and for promising not to do a sequel.

Everything starts with the script. Major studios are infamous for throwing hundreds of millions at appalling scripts hoping to create something 'sponge worthy' - as Elaine from Seinfeld would say. This is a low budget Aussie thriller which gathers a talented cast, deftly put through their paces by director Martin Simpson. The story may start out in the traditional sense with a young naive medical research intern working late desperately trying to solve the mystery of a new virus however, the film begins its series of twists and turns from there. I am told that it was shot on high definition digital and this may show with some of the lighting and occasionally the sound may appear thin or hollow. However, what the film may lack in SFX is more than compensated by the panache of the over-all completed project.

Gene-X captures the essence of Australian move making at it's best. The script is not only eloquently written it is thought provoking and entertaining. The many fine actors in this movie raise Gene-X to an international level. It is sensitively directed. Gene-X makes the viewer laugh, sit tense with anticipation and hold their breath as they are taken on a roller-coaster ride of suspense, intrigue and tortured romance. I found that to truly appreciate all the subtle nuances that run through this complex and captivating movie, one must watch it more than once. There is always something new to be seen! Definitely a more than once to watch movie!

This is an entertaining story told well. The first feature film from experienced director Martin Simpson brings together a good story brought to life by a talented cast. Although sometimes compared to hospital thrillers like Stephen Kings 'Animal Hospital-the beginning', in my opinion Gene-X was closer to science fact than science fiction. I found interesting background to the story, the cast and the production crew on their website:and liked their Facebook page. The film is based on the novel 'Brains' also written by Martin Simpson. The book is described as 'deliciously trashy, a fast paced, plausibly woven, compelling read.' Neither film nor book take themselves too seriously and both are heavy on irony with many references to the thriller genre greats. Both are available from Amazon. Ideal downloads for that long airline trip!