Latency

"Latency" starts off strong, gripping you with the story of Hana, a talented agoraphobic gamer who finds solace and competition in the virtual world. The film cleverly explores the allure of online gaming for those who struggle with social interaction in the real world. Sasha Luss delivers a captivating performance as Hana, embodying the vulnerability and determination of a woman yearning for connection.

The initial setup is promising. The introduction of the experimental gaming tech that blurs the lines between reality and the virtual world is intriguing. I was hooked, quickly planning out when to sit down with my daughters to watch as I was expecting well crafted moments where the lines of reality truly break down and the horror unfolds.

However, "Latency" loses momentum halfway through. The initial chills and suspense start to dissipate, replaced by a dragging plot that fails to deliver the full-blown mind-bender we were primed for. The scares become predictable, and the exploration of the psychological impact of the technology feels underdeveloped.

Despite the cool-off, the film does hold value as a cautionary tale. It effectively portrays the anxieties that can arise when the virtual world becomes all-consuming, especially for someone already grappling with isolation. The fear of losing control and the blurring of boundaries between reality and game become especially poignant for Hana, who's already dealing with the loss of a normal life due to her agoraphobia.

"Latency" is a film with a strong initial concept and a captivating lead performance. However, its execution falters, lef me wanting more from the mind-bending potential it sets up.

4.2 out of 10 when this review was created.

OK so how many films have the reviewers watched? The low score doesn't equate to the film I have just watched on Amazon. Like a stage play in the one room, most storytelling has been done before but you need to tell it in a new and unique way. The story went along at a good pace and had a start, middle and ending. Plenty of decent action and the headset gimmick was pretty good. I would say the budget was low on this one so kudos for making something unique.

Plenty of movies miss the mark on the entertainment scale and if you are at a loose end looking for something a bit different then just give this some of your time.

Worst movie ever... trust me you've seen it all in that trailer, you'll lose your time if you ever decide to watch it.

I stumbed on the trailer then said to myself that maybe my sons who are gamers will like to watch this, guess what after a few attempts trying to convince them to watch the movie we all sit down (they haven't seen the trailer) and we watch this.

It was incedibly slow to get to any interesting part which most are from the trailer, after 30 minutes I started to skip 10 seconds here then 10 seconds there without missing a thing because nothing was happening! I don't know why they stretched useless parts so often.

Whatever, I told my sons that exceptionally I will take a few minutes to get on IMDb and write a well deserved review. There am I.

So it's not really a sci fi or a horror movie even though there are some elements of it. Kinda like a lower budget black mirror episode. It's a single location movie but it doesn't look low budget the CGI is good in couple of scene where it is used. The acting is fine also.

The movie deals with a terminally online young woman getting a new technology which links her brain with her computer. Stuff starts happening.

The pacing isn't the best there's some filler here considering there isn't an hour and half worth of plot.

The movie is kinda sad and disturbing. Might be triggering to some people.

"Latency" has a pretty interesting premise, and the viewer is immediately thrown into some virtual action with the main character, Hana. She is a professional gamer who suffers from acute agoraphobia. Shortly after receiving some highly advanced new gaming equipment, strange things start happening, and it seems like the new equipment is trying to control her. As I mentioned, the premise sounded really interesting, and the effects in the opening scene looked pretty decent. Sasha Luss does a good job as Hana, though her accent slipped a few times.

Another thing that felt unrealistic was the portrayal of this absolutely beautiful and flawless woman, who also has an equally attractive girlfriend, played by Alexis Ren, as a professional gamer who spends most of her time playing online games. While it makes sense in terms of her agoraphobia, it was hard to buy into this setup in the movie. I'm not saying that beautiful women can't be gamers, but in this context, it felt unconvincing.

Another issue is that the movie ultimately leads nowhere, with a narrative that is fairly mainstream and predictable. The ending was unsatisfying, with many questions left unanswered and multiple plot points leading into a void. Overall, the result was pretty unspectacular and below average. [4.7/10]