The Scopia Effect

I didn't know what to expect from this film. And to be honest half way through i thought the same, but in a good way. Shot beautifully, a mysterious plot, the right amount of 'horror' elements to not distract from the film's arty purpose.

It's quite hard for me to put this film into a particular genre, show's originality.

Acting is commendable, some haunting and frigging weird performances that compliment some of the abstractness in the film.

This isn't a Hollywood blockbuster by any means, but the cinematography is fantastic. Bright but haunting.

Worth a second watch.

If you enjoy random nonsensical flashbacks from different eras for 2 hours, sandwiched in between scenes of a lady screaming and acting crazy...maybe this movie is for you.

I'm not even joking, this is what happens over the course of 2 hours...the "payoff" at the end wasn't worth the time. Picturesque scenes and sappy moments don't automatically provoke emotion - which was clearly the goal here as the plot was non-existent.

Well, at least it's not 3 hours like Cloud Atlas. A movie along similar lines which is much better would be "The Fountain", directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Hugh Jackman.

First of all, the first two reviews sound like they were written by teenagers with short attention spans, who were looking for a cookie-cutter horror movie. Sadly, that's who most horror/sci-fi films are made for.

My review will probably be more relevant for intelligent adults who enjoy original and engaging films.

My high rating is due to the originality of concept, the visual execution of story, and very solid acting.

My biggest pet-peeves are plot-holes and clichés. Modern horror and sci-fi films are usually riddled with them. This movie is congruent and mysterious, with no clichés.

It is a slow creeper, with genuinely unnerving scenes. There is realistic, scary violence. I wanted to look away, because I felt like I was watching real human evil, not another corny slasher scene.

The screenplay jumps around in time, but anyone with half a brain will easily follow. Midway, it all starts to come together. I like films like this because they don't spoon-feed you the plot with dialogue or cliché. If you pay attention and think, you will feel a building sense of understanding. This is much more rewarding for the intelligent film buff.

The direction, cinematography, and special effects are great. Nowadays, CGI is often used to compensate for a weak cast, story, and direction. This film doesn't need much, except for some cool dream/hallucination sequences. The only special effects used to great...er, effect. They are done the old-fashioned way, but I actually felt scared.

Once again, we see that you don't need a blockbuster budget, or pretty faces with limp lines and empty emotion, to make a great film.

The lead actress does a GREAT job playing her role. I believed her and empathized with her in every scene. The same goes for the peripheral characters, although the therapist seems a bit flat and inauthentic, but there is a REASON for that, as you'll see.

The Scopia Effect slipped under the radar, but I'm glad I caught it. If you like original, subtle, creepy, and thought-provoking horror and sci-fi, definitely give this one a chance. It's well-worth a couple hours in front of your TV, and will leave you pondering the pain in your own life.

Christopher Butler has another film coming out called Storm, and I will definitely check that one out too.

For many people's i read about their review on this movie that gave the rate of 3 below. I'm sorry to tell you but you were totally wrong about judging the movie. It is in the sense that you need a deeper understanding about the topic before you watch this type of movie. because having an Older Age doesn't mean that your smart enough at pointing it out to be a not worth to watch movie. The movie was OUTSTANDING for us who understand and VERY POOR for those who doesn't even have a clue about life who just sits and face their monitor on the COMPUTER.

You can may be judge how bad i am in English but please my Grammar wont make it less sense. The only reason you can't understand an ART like these were because you're dumb enough and stuck on those typical life you have right now. There are many things the Movie that has given.

The emotion was mix. I can even feel it too. it even left me having some sort of unknown feeling. the thrill even gets me with out those annoying LOUD SOUND EFFECTS that most of you "horror movie lovers"-so called people want.

It is not a total disaster, I mean the movie has a crazy plot and it goes slowly. I was expecting (from some very optimistic reviewer here) something really original, scary and unpredictable.

It turned out to be original, but that's all for what its worth it. The acting is average at best. Around 3/4 of the movie I began to figure it out, and the result wasn't as unpredictable as I was expecting. There are some violence parts, but really nothing to be scared of. So I could not rate this movie as horror; probably an insane thriller is where it belongs to.

It is a shame because the idea probably with a better plot and direction could be a good thing, but it is not.

I stress you not to waste your time and look something else. I gave it a 3/10 because it could have been worse.