The Source

I really liked this movie. The acting is far from great and the special effects kind of suck, but when you are dealing with a low budget direct to video kind of movie, you almost expect this. It's one of those kind of movies that you see on cable at like 2am and just sort of fall into the storyline and just get a fun funky ride. I think if you like Buffy, The Craft and other teen angst/special powers stuff, you'll get a get out of this movie. It really reminded me of a story that would make a great comic book premise or a great tv series if handled by good writers. If you are a fan of comic books and interesting origin of powers stories I think that you can make certain parrallels between this story and comic books like The Fantastic Four or maybe even Power Pack. I also like the idea of how this film deals with the realistic elements of how teens in high school might deal with getting special powers. These kids aren't out to save the world or use their powers for good. Far from it. Anyone that was ever picked on by a bully has had some kind of revenge fantasy and this movie shows how teens with an axe to grind might use their powers for revenge and power as opposed to making the world a better place. If you had special powers and the ability to make yourself a god, would you? Could you resist the temptation to take revenge? This film is not going to get nominated for any awards, nor would I suggest renting it if you are over the age of 20, but if you see it's on cable, check it out. struggle through the first 20 minutes or so, and I think you'll have a fun ride.

Reese is the new kid at school. It probably doesn't help that his father is the new chemistry teacher. But he also dresses in black and wears makeup--though I've seen far worse. Reese's dad makes a comment about how things will likely be better at this school. Well, that isn't going to be the case.

Reese gets picked on more than most outcast teens I've seen in movies or on TV, but he does make friends. Zack is sort of a nerd, and his sister Ashley is an angry but sarcastic rebel. Phoebe is a new-age type who is allergic to most foods--and wool (but who eats wool?).

Zack has discovered a portal in the woods on the side of a mountain, and he has recorded his observations and calculations on his laptop computer. He believes if the energy (which he describes as fusion) could be harnessed, we would no longer be dependent on fossil fuels.

But the teens try something different. They discover that by stepping inside the field surrounding the portal, each one gets a different super power. Zack can read minds, Phoebe can move objects (in "Carrie" this was called telekinesis), and Ashley can persuade others to do whatever she says--provided the other person is not strong-willed enough to resist. Reese's power is harder to figure out--it turns out to be the ability to heal. The powers don't last but a few days, so periodic recharging is necessary.

At first, the teens' new abilities provide comedy relief as well as a fantasy for anyone who was ever mistreated (or even perceived themselves as being mistreated) in school, by students or faculty. But Moss, who has been working with Zack on studying the portal, warns Zack that these powers could be dangerous. Moss is right.

This was not that bad a movie. But one sign it wasn't great: actors with one line delivered that line with all the enthusiasm that one line deserves. In fact, in really good movies, a single line can be delivered so well that the performance is memorable.

The four lead actors did a good job at least some of the time. Melissa Martin did the best as the rebellious and sarcastic Ashley.

The dress and behavior of these lead performers did not fit stereotypes (of course, Ashley's actions went beyond the usual even before she received her abilities). None of them would have been perceived as weird-looking if we hadn't been told they were supposed to be. This is good in that the movie didn't resort to the device of making the characters extreme examples of a certain personality type. Zack wasn't a Steve Urkel, even if he seemed to have Steve's intelligence. In fact, his grades weren't that good.

The music, if you can call it that, usually managed to be quite loud. It was alternative rock and high-tech dance music, for the most part. Most of it wasn't as unnerving as what was used for the opening and closing credits--this would probably appeal to teens like Reese. It all sounds like garbage to me, but somehow I got the impression it might be considered quality stuff. Certainly the dance music wasn't of the Britney Spears/Hilary Duff variety. More like dark basements in the bad section of town with flashing lights at 2 in the morning. I did like the polka music in one scene where someone was trying to bring Ashley under control.

I'm not hard to please when it comes to visual effects. Bright colored cloud effects and fast movement seemed to be enough here. Nothing ground-breaking. And of course each teen's eyes glowed in a weird color as each power was used.

Surprisingly, this film had little real violence. We were constantly subjected to rapid-fire editing of some flashback of a bloody event in Reese's past which might explain his behavior. And we also saw the aftermath of an event in the movie itself.

The best thing I can say is that for mistreated teens, this film represents a fantasy, but it also shows consequences.

The kind of movie you tell your friends about......tell to stay far away from.

This is the kind of film making that would make Ed Wood proud. Poor plot, bad acting and a terrible camera crew, this movie has it all. From camera techniques that leave the viewer reaching for the Dramamine to a script that explains nothing, you really can't ask for more in a C class flick.

The movie starts off following Reece, a goth kid who wears more makeup than Tammy Faye Baker. He's sullen, he's moody and he's surly, the kind of kid who always makes "special" friends with the jocks of any high school he attends. He's befriended by 3 other outcasts, Zack, Ashley and Phoebe. "Outcasts" that all dress nice and drive nice cars nonetheless. They take him to a magic spot in the woods where Zack, the brainy one, has figured out produces some kind of super energy from cold fusion with just his palm pilot. Reece goes off by himself and immediately discovers a large, glowing yellow rock that no one has ever noticed before. Somehow they discover stepping into the energy source allows them to gain interesting low budget powers that made their eyes glow different colors. I'd explain it more, but that's all they give us, so you just have to accept it as such.

The kids decide to take action and get back at all the people that have treated them badly, embarrassing teachers, cheerleaders, punks and audience members everywhere. Ashley goes on a power spree, inflicting terrible revenge on her enemies like nosepicking and sitting in garbage cans, so you can see it gets really intense. I don't want to spoil the rest as I want to leave you salivating for more.

Most of these kids look 30+ and have never had any lead performance roles before in their lives. While most will never amount to too much in the acting world, I do believe Zack could be, if given enough time and the right amount of extensive training, a really good Extra some day, the kind you put behind the Hanks' and Cruise's of the world to make for a more convincing scene. The others would be good cadavers on shows like CSI. I just recommend that Zack leave his shirt on for the rest of his career.

Can't anyone write a low level script that tells a coherent story in 90 minutes? I've seen more expressive QVC shows. The filmmakers assumed we should just know the depths of everything; character motivations, the meaning of vague music video flashbacks, exactly where it was all going.

And what was going on with the camera work? They kept using this 'rocking' camera technique (using the word technique loosely) that made you seasick for no apparent reason other than to keep your eyes from leaving the screen, which mine kept doing. There were also other shots that looked like they just kept a camera on in case something cool happened.

Overall, I'd say this movie is a 1 out of 10, and that's being generous. You could make the same film with known actors and still not get anything from it. A total nightmare of film making.

I rented this thinking it would be subpar at best and was pleasantly surprised. You can tell this was low budget...but not low-low. This could be called a "Teen Film" in some respects, but it's not "cheesy" as most teen films made these days. The special effects in the film work really well i think, very inventive in their approach. The plot is an interesting one and if you're a science or sci-fi freak you'll probably relate to it more. The acting for the most part is talented for a small film such as this. Basically, if you like low-budget movies that have plot twists and unique characters then you may just like this one. I liked it enough that I'll probably buy the DVD soon.

I am on a roll. It seems like every movie I see lately is total trash! Not trash in a good sense, I mean bottom of the barrel, "why did this crap even get made" kind of trash.

This movie almost makes some of the other garbage films I've seen lately look good but then again, maybe not. Garbage movies are garbage movies and this, this thing is pathetic!

It's not a camcorder special. Not a backyard home video like Nikos, Shatter Dead or Maplewoods. This piece of junk is actually shot on film and had somewhat of a budget, not a huge budget but more then the backyard epic b-films.

The acting in this movie is HORRID!!!!!!! The acting is so bad that it makes one of those old 70's kung fu movie look awesome! It's that bad! How did these people get jobs as actors?! How did the director get this film made?! The special effects, these are so bad that they almost need to be seen to be believed! There's just no way to get across how inept this movie is. It's almost a joke.

My question is. Is it this easy to go out and make a movie? Well judging from this and the other garbage I've been seeing lately, it obviously is!