Kill Switch (DVD) – Movie Review
One of the world’s biggest issues right now is the energy we’re consuming, and where to get it in the future, as sources are slowly running out. It’s a debate that should leave no one untouched, but sadly, it’s an issue that can’t be solved that easily. In Kill Switch, director Tim Smit imagined a world where it is possible, where a huge source provides energy for the entire world, but it doesn’t come without any risks attached…
We’re sometime in the near future. Will Porter (Dan Stevens), a former NASA employee and physicist, is hired by a company called Alterplex. Alterplex claims to have found a way to provide the whole world of energy from a never ending source. It would solve one of the world’s biggest issues, but while commercials praise Alterplex for saving humanity, the project doesn’t come without risks. To gain this energy, Alterplex created an alternate universe, which is basically a copy of our Earth, which they call the Echo. In our world, a tower is built that will be able to generate the energy, as it is connected with the same tower in the Echo. Once the tower is complete and the whole project is launched, Alterplex will send Will to the Echo, as he needs to plant a box in the tower there in order for the energy balance to be stable. Abigail Vos (Bérénice Marlohe), Will’s contact at Alterplex gives him his instructions.
Once inside the Echo, Will realizes that something went quite wrong though. The Echo was supposed to be a copy of the real world, be it without any living creature in it. Instead, Alterplex copied the entire Earth, including the animals and human beings in it. Due to the unstable energy balance between both worlds, it’s very unsafe in the Echo, and on top of that, drones are watching his every movement. He needs to get the box to the tower as fast as possible and hope for the best, as the question remains if both worlds can keep existing next to each other.
The story of this movie actually has quite a good idea behind it, yet it doesn’t manage to keep being interesting. One of the reasons for that is that you don’t get much information concerning the characters’ backgrounds, leaving the story quite flat. The storyline itself is also a bit too random, again without much information about why the things that are going on, really are happening. It’s also a bit too unbelievable that none of the main characters, while being attacked by drones without any place to run for cover, are actually hit. We found the story to lack depth, and when it comes to filmography, it comes down to the same thing: the idea was nice, but the execution didn’t do what it was expected to do. Much of the story is told from Will’s point of view, and looks as if you were playing a first person shooter on your favorite console. While this in itself is actually quite original, and definitely nicely done, there’s just a bit too much of it, and the constant camera movement might become quite annoying after a little while.
Dan Stevens does quite a decent acting job, even though his character Will remains a bit of a mystery throughout the entire film. Bérénice Marlohe didn’t really convince in her role as Abigail Vos though. Granted, her character too, is a bit random – she appears to be the mysterious Alterplex lady at first, but the longer you’re watching, the more you’re wondering what she’s actually there for, and Marlohe just doesn’t add anything to the character.
No special features were added to this DVD release to prolong your Kill Switch experience. We didn’t really mind, since the film didn’t exceed our expectations at all, yet a short making of or an interview with the director would have been nice nonetheless. It could have given us a bit more insight into certain decisions that were taken, and could have helped us to appreciate the film a bit more.
Conclusion
Kill Switch is a film that has a lot of potential, but sadly didn’t really show anything amazing. The story was a bit too ‘flat’, while at the same time leaving you in the dark about too many things. This was also the case when it comes to the characters. There was not much character development, and also the characters’ background was never properly explained. This all made the film feel like it had so much more potential, but sadly, it didn’t come out. Luckily, there are plenty of sci-fi films out there that are more worth your while.
No Comments