Worth: $10.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Carlos Scholz, María Pedraza, Pedro Alonso, Óscar Jaenada
Intro:
There are thrills to be had, but the pacing is unfocused and the plot not half as daring or adventurous as it aims to be.
Super-powered teenager Ian (Carlos Scholz) lives life off the grid with his protective father, using his mind manipulation abilities and committing petty crime to keep their pockets full but never enough to get them on anyone’s radar. Living by his father’s two unshakable rules — don’t stand out, and don’t trick family — Ian dreams of something bigger; one big score to make it all worthwhile. That is until the day a slip-up in public has them drawing all the wrong kinds of attention and making them the target of two warring organisations, each in search of someone powerful enough to tip the scales in their favour.
Daniel Benmayor (Xtremo, Tracers) dons multiple hats as director, producer, and co-scriptwriter alongside Iván Ledesma, showcasing his love for dynamic stunts and high-adrenaline with this Spanish cat and mouse chase film with a sci-fi twist. There’s a plot in there somewhere, an attempt to preserve the remaining democracy in the world from the all-consuming grip of those who’ve mutated their own genes with super-serum. But in between the ever-expanding lore of Perceivers and Awareness, power manifestation and the mysterious looming figure of The Mule, Ian’s story boils down to a surprisingly emotional quest for self-discovery and the all too human desire to belong.
There are thrills to be had, but the pacing is unfocused and the plot not half as daring or adventurous as it aims to be. The special effects team does a respectable job working within a limited budget, but for every flipped cop car or flaming semi-trailer, there’s a half-empty set with flashing neon tacked onto the wall and a handful of extras in ill-fitting suits trying and failing to keep the exposition scenes from stagnating.
Not without its flaws, but an enjoyable watch nonetheless, with Óscar Jaenada (Xtremo, The Losers) proving to be the real highlight as the maybe-villain, maybe-ally with his menacing melodramatics, strutting through fight scenes like he’s on a catwalk and keeping his deadly cool amidst the head-spinning chaos of Benmayor’s world-building.
