Chimera Strain

On the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein comes a new science fiction film based on similar concepts of immortality and the arrogance of science. Chimera Strain is worth your time simply because of its unique concept. The ending seems a bit rushed, but the overall product is worth your invested time

Some good, some not so good, The good: acting, plot, sets, medical sci-fi aspects. The not-so-good: over stylized lighting, confusing plot. Still it was better than the avarage crappy indie movie that comes out of sundance or cannes.

Featuring towering performances from Henry Ian Cusick and especially Kathleen Quinlan Chimera Strain is a film that will take you by surprise. The set designs are phenomenal with a blueish hue that is always welcome for science fiction lovers and the story- although a bit confusing at times is good enough for the audience to relate with. This low budget film doesn't look or feel low budget at all.

I must commend the filmmakers that they even managed to tackle such a sensitive subject but the issue of morality and the dilemmas it poses becomes central to the film- at the expense of the entertainment. The visuals are amazing including some stomach churning stuff involving operation room objects. Its all pretty much in one setting (the main character's science lab) but the inventive camerawork and editing are good enough to not let that matter. Interesting concept- flawed execution.

Chimera Strain by Maurice Haems could have been a great film- It looks amazing and the acting is sublime across the board. Henry Ian Cusick is so bloody good he deserves a nomination somewhere just to get noticed. However, there are some problems- for one the pacing is disjointed and off. Scenes seem rushed and many times a long take scene is immediately followed by a bunch of short ones, which dispenses the flow of the film. The script is good but there is way too much dialogue. Mr. Haems should know that the "show don't tell" rule also applies in a way that one should make the character do things to back their intentions and not just say it. That's for plays. All in all, this is a brave effort and I feel any science fiction lover should see this.