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Aren't you glad when you don't read more into a highly anticipated movie before plunging in? Ahh the feeling when it pays off.
Release: 2017, January-February
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
IMDB: 7.7/10
Box Office: $255 Million - 5600% Return on $4.5 Million Budget
SPOILERS: Minimal
I rate this high considering I've lost my appetite for horror, but you'll read why below.
Who would think you could love a film that flows almost as a neutered romantic comedy for the first half yet somehow serendipitously slides into horror in the final third. All that and walking the tightrope toward sci-fi dystopia. I enjoy a good tease and this movie delivers great teases of what it could be for the first half. This lets your mind ponder pondring what the story is really going to turn into during the slow plot developments through the majority of it.
Even after revealing itself it fails to surprise and solidify itself in one genre, specifically when Rod calls Chris' girlfriend (Rose) which has the perfect juxtaposition of comedy and cringe.
When Mr. Hudson describes the procedure [Limited SPOILERS ahead] the sunken place sounded so similar to what appeared in the finale of Black Mirror Season 4 I had to make note (which when I check back actually came out the end of 2017 so it's almost feasible they extrapolated this notion from this film!).
At 1 hour and 44 minutes (with credits) it could arguably be the perfect length for a movie. It's wonderful (in my opinion) that it took this long into the movie (1 hour 23 minutes or 83% in with only 17 minutes left) to reveal what they even are using dark skinned people for.
Nasty surgical scene but very thankful they did not give us the closeup of the removal; this kept with the film's theme of being so on the edge of awkward creepy but not totally gross. By just a minute or two later the movie fully embraces the horror theme to let us play out with.
This film exemplifies what I think is the natural (though technological?) progression for movies to be more cross genre and unable to be labelled as one or even as just two genres, just like music.
At the end if it weren't such a good movie I'd think twice on the thought that by the closing line it feels like a cheap TSA recruitment vehicle, which it likely is. (Or maybe not considering the budget?)
Then que the weird ass music (once again, this time in focus).
In conclusion I would watch a sequel just showing Chris and Rod driving home discussing the experiences they had. Even with no plot gaps and cliffhanger ending, thank goodness, there is plenty of room for multiple sequels just based on the premise alone; though they would more likely be closer to strict horror movies unless set as a prequel.
10 out of 10!
P.S. I could see this being one of the exceptions to horror in that the main actor has a good chance to branch out; though I admit it's quite hard to grasp his general talent which coincidentally makes me think maybe this is why such few actors branch out of horror because it doesn't translate well to determine acting skills? Just some thoughts...