Elevation - Not as Elevated as it Thinks it is

 

Streaming on Max

    Elevation is the kind of independent science fiction film that frustrates me! It has a fantastic premise, a solid leading man in Anthony Mackie (also producer), and enough thematic and narrative elements to build a potentially engaging and emotionally resonating experience. Sadly, with lackluster by-the-numbers direction, characters who mistake whining for strength, and a script that utterly refuses to expand and explore its own mythology in an interesting way (not to mention a little overzealous with its overtly religious themes), we are left with only one-third of what could have potentially been a good movie with the remaining two-thirds leaving us baffled, scratching our heads, and yelling at the screen, "Wait, WHAT!?"

    The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, where Earth has been invaded by mysterious, deadly creatures with impenetrable armor. For some reason, they cannot climb past 8,000 feet of elevation, so survivors seek refuge in the mountains above the line, as they say. Our hero is a man named Will (Anthony Mackie), who has a young son with a lung condition that requires him to be on an oxygen machine at night. As the filters for said machine run out, Will must venture below the line to a local hospital for replacement filters. He is accompanied by a scientist friend named Nina (Morena Baccarin), who has been seeking a means of killing the dangerous creatures and believes she can find the answers in her old lab close to the hospital. How many of their lucky stars will keep them alive as they venture below the line? 

    Right off the bat, this is an excellent premise for a movie. It has enough familiar elements, mixed with a few twists for good measure. The cinematography is well done and gorgeous, especially with the beautiful landscape shots of the Colorado mountains. The action scenes are well structured, easy to follow, and provide some satisfactory feelings. Anthony Mackie does a decent job carrying the narrative and shows interest in making fantastical movies outside of Marvel. 

    Unfortunately, all of that good will is bogged down by a lack of any kind of directorial flourish or style, and the one thing that any movie needs to have perfected before the cameras start rolling: the script!

    The script is the film's worst offender, and there are too many amateur mistakes to count: clunky dialogue, lazy exposition, and adolescent concepts of character growth and development, to name a few. Not to mention the overt religious themes that, quite frankly, feel as though they were needlessly shoehorned into the story. Plus, there is a lackluster and unearned attempt at a post-credit scene teasing at another movie, accompanied by too many unanswered questions that practically demand the audience care enough to see what happens next. It's the MCU condition all over again! Not to diminish the MCU, especially in the early days before Endgame, but this is another case of producers learning the wrong lessons from Marvel. 

    Elevation is a massive disappointment in every possible way. Despite having an excellent idea for a story, gorgeous visuals, visceral action scenes, high-quality special effects, and effective monster designs, the early draft of the script they chose to film is riddled with too many faults, flaws, and failings, effectively handicapping all other efforts and elements. A decent movie here is begging to be polished, but it is too little, too late. This is one extinction level event that amounts to nothing more than a mere whisper. 

    Skip this one!

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.