January 10, 2014

+1 (2013)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2395385/
I tried to like this movie, I really did.

I guess the big thing for me was that it ended up being something totally different than I originally thought it was going to be; I went in expecting some sort of Supernatural Slasher flick, and ended up getting a Sci-Fi "invasion" flick instead.

To be clear, Plus One wasn't necessarily a bad movie, it just really did nothing for me. I've never been the biggest fan of lower-budget Sci-Fi/Horror flicks (mainly because they don't often do them right), so this could totally be just a "me" thing.

Or, maybe the movie just kinda sucks. That's up to you to decide.

After being dumped by his hot girlfriend, David heads to the Party of the Year! (aren't they all) with his best crimey in tow, where he proceeds to follow her around in a bid to win back her affections. Why, I don't know, because she was pretty much a touchy bitch who really needed to relax.

He also witnesses a meteorite crashing nearby, which not only seems to be a metaphor for his life, but also somehow disrupts the Space-time continuum, which leads to all sorts of odd happenings. Every time the lights flicker, or something happens with electricity, doppelgangers of everyone who is at the party show up, and do exactly what their "real" versions were doing only minutes before.

Doppelgangers appear, and everyone moves outside to party, thus missing them. That kind of thing happens over and over again, until David and his cronie notice their new versions partying it up, get all freaked out, and spend the rest of the movie trying to figure out what in the hell they should do about it.

That's one thing you could do about it.
Someone on the Internets said that Plus One felt like it was a hybrid of Project X, Groundhog's Day, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which honestly, is just about a perfect description of this film and what it has to offer. Maybe add in a splash of Night of the Comet for safe measure.

Why are the doppelgangers here, and where did they come from? Were they in the meteorite, or were they just a product of the Space-time continuum being disrupted? Did Aliens send the meteorite, hoping to use doppelgangers to take over the Earth? Was it Satan?

I have no clue what happened or why, and neither does the movie. Plus One is more about the effect than it is about the cause, and that's where it lost me. I never really felt like anyone was in danger, or that there was some evil plan being executed, rather that some little bloop happened, and the whole thing was just an odd anomaly.

No.
It was kinda cool to see the time loop getting closer and closer to bringing the doppelgangers and their real counterparts closer together, but nothing ever really happened with that in the end. Had the two sets of beings merged, and everything turned into some crazy bloodbath or something, the movie would have been far more interesting. Also, Natalie Hall spent plenty of time being naked in this one, so that's something fun, I guess.

Watching this movie felt a little bit like that.
Plus One is an interesting concept that just doesn't ever amount to much. It bored me nearly to tears, but again, that could just be a personal preference thing on my part. It's sharp and boasts some pretty good CGI, and I have to give it some credit in the originality department, because at least it was different, and didn't play like something tired and familiar.

It's not all that bad, but I guess I just wanted more. Blah.

C-

Can we please take a minute to celebrate the insane beauty of Ashley Hinshaw? Please?

1 comment :