One of the words I hate using when reviewing a movie is "disappointing." Because usually, that's the result of a film that has so many great things going for it only to be dragged down by one or two creative decisions that could have very easily been fixed either well before production or early on during production. A great example of this would be with the great science fiction film Back to the Future. In the early days of shooting, a young actor named Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly. However, after about five weeks of working with Mr. Stoltz, director Robert Zemeckis decided that, though Mr. Stoltz was very talented, he just didn't have the comedic sting that the role required. So Robert approached producer Steven Spielberg and asked if he could be replaced, hence why the part ultimately went to Michael J. Fox, and the rest is history. Fortunately, Anon does not suffer from poor casting choices, but it is bogged down by one or two creative decisions which I will get to in a moment.
The story takes place in the future. Humankind has significantly advanced the technology for automation, convenience, and, supposedly, privacy. Instead of carrying around the latest and most advanced smartphone, people have implants placed into their eyes and brains, primarily functioning as a set of internal Google Glasses. This implant can place phone calls, operate external devices, and even record memories. To police this technology, a new branch of law enforcement is in place with officers who have special privileges allowing them access to anyone's implant at any time purely for investigative purposes. One such person is a cop named Sal Frieland (Clive Owen) who is working a case involving a series of murders and unexplainable hacking of the victim's implants. His primary suspect is a mysterious woman known only as The Girl (Amanda Seyfried), who not only doesn't appear in any systems records but apparently can hack into anyone's implants and delete any unwanted information. This leads to a game of Cat & Mouse between the two as they try to solve the mystery while maintaining their safety and, at least for one of them, their anonymity.
This is a really great set up. It's got some timely and relevant commentary about technology, automation, privacy, personal security, and the importance of the human experience not peered through a screen. Not at all surprising coming from writer/director Andrew Niccol who seems to specialize in these kinds of movies, and, for the most part, does an impeccable job. However, every once in a while he makes a creative decision that can make the proceedings unintentionally dull, or miss an opportunity to take his ideas further than he does.
Because this film takes place in a world where everyone can view, create, and share digital information in their heads, the vast majority of the film is static shots of people sitting or standing around staring into space. Though the film does have the good sense to cut to POV (Point Of View) shots to showcase the technology being used, it's unfortunate that the technology itself is equally dull to look at. The computer system in everyone's minds consists of a blurry background with various grids of white lines providing information mostly in onscreen text and video files. While this kind of presentation worked in films like Robocop and The Terminator it sadly doesn't work here. There are some parts where the hacker creates hallucinations to mess with the cops, but that's about it. This is further exacerbated by the cast. While all the actors have proven themselves to be talented and capable of a wide range of emotions, here, they appeared to have been directed into acting like robots. Monotone deliveries, overly slow movements, and blank, emotionless faces (mostly). This creative choice was likely made to better showcase the dreariness of the setting, but it just makes the proceedings unintentionally dull.
If the cast had been allowed to show more range and the visuals had some more flair to them this could have been a perfect new entry for science fiction. However, as it stands, it is an unintentionally dull slog prevented from being utterly unwatchable by its fascinating subject matter and the ever-reliable screen presence of the gorgeous Amanda Seyfried. If you're a fan of writer/director Andrew Niccol or anyone in the cast, then, by all means, give it a shot. Just be sure to have some coffee on hand. It will help.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading.
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