Elevation

This movie is much better than the bad reviews would lead you to believe. OK, so it's a cheaper knockoff of The Quiet Place. But that doesn't take away from the enjoyment. It's a fun movie if you like the sci-fi monster genre. The script and the acting are above average for this type of movie. It's also nice to see the Colorado mountains scenery. Just like in The Quiet Place, you have to accept one dumb premise in order to be able to enjoy the movie: For some unexplained reason, the monsters can't go above 8000 feet. This movie doesn't have as many holes in the plot as The Quiet Place series. And ending is much better. You actually find out where the monsters came from. It's also easy to figure out why they are killing everyone.

C'mon, folks, you can't be a serious person and think this movie isn't trash. The problem is, it's a bit difficult to explain exactly why without using spoilers. But I'll try.

Well here's a shortcut to explaining why: Plot holes abound. People do stupid stuff that makes no sense. Stuff you know they wouldn't do (or be allowed to do) IRL.

This isn't a spoiler since it's revealed at the very start of the movie: The "creatures" don't ever go an inch above 8,000 feet of elevation. This is clearly absurd, and is never explained. Oh, and someone very nicely marked the 8,000-foot elevation line on an entire mountain range, and they did so with hyper-precision. So much precision, in fact that you can lie down and rest just beyond the marked line even if there's a creature that was just bearing down on you, because the creature will stop in its tracks. Absurd.

Splash in all the usual contrived garbage, sprinkle in a bunch of nonsensical plot absurdities, and top it off with a laughably absurd conclusion.

And nothing is ever explained. I guess they looked at the garbage script they had and rightly decided it wasn't worth explaining. Good call.

So, I sat down to watch Elevation, a film that promises thrills, chills, and a heartwarming tale of survival in a world gone mad. The premise? A single dad (played by the ever-charismatic Anthony Mackie) teams up with a brooding neighbor (Morena Baccarin) and a scrappy young woman (Maddie Hasson) to brave a monstrous, post-apocalyptic hellscape in search of lifesaving medication for Mackie's ailing son. Sounds intense, right? Like a twisted mix of The Last of Us and your standard "let's-go-fetch-the-thing-to-save-the-kid" plot. But here's the thing: while the movie has its moments, it often feels like it's hiking up a steep hill only to find the view from the top isn't all that spectacular.

Let's start with the good. Every now and then, Elevation delivers a solid dose of tension. There's one scene in an abandoned factory where our trio faces off against the film's signature monsters that had me white-knuckling my popcorn. For a brief moment, I thought, "This is it! This is where the movie takes off!" But alas, that moment, much like a cheap rollercoaster, peaked too quickly. The premise is another point in its favor. I mean, who doesn't love a good survival story with high stakes and creepy creatures? On paper, this could've been a genre-defining film. Unfortunately, "on paper" is where the brilliance seems to have stayed.

Now, the not-so-good. If you're planning to watch this movie, pack a snack-and maybe a pillow-because the pacing is slow. Like, snail-on-a-cold-day slow. The film spends so much time building up its characters and world that it forgets to, you know, keep things moving. Don't get me wrong; I'm all for character development. But there's a fine line between deep and dull, and Elevation doesn't always find the balance.

And then there are the special effects. Oh, boy. Let's just say that some of the creature designs wouldn't look out of place in a Syfy original movie circa 2010. I'm not saying the CGI is terrible, but when your big bad monster looks like it moonlights as a Halloween store mascot, you've got a problem. Speaking of problems, the big reveal-this film's pièce de résistance-lands with a thud. After all the buildup, the explanation for the monsters (or lack thereof) feels as satisfying as getting socks for Christmas. Sure, they're practical, but where's the excitement?

But wait, there's more! For a movie that wants to tug at your heartstrings, it sure leans hard on tired tropes. Mackie's kid is sick and needs lifesaving medication, so naturally, our heroes embark on a dangerous quest to save him. Haven't we seen this plot a million times before? It's like the writers took a spin on the Wheel of Emotional Stakes and landed on "sick kid." I wanted to care more, I really did, but this well-worn trope made it hard to fully invest.

And yet, despite its flaws, Elevation isn't a total disaster. Anthony Mackie does his best to elevate the material (pun intended), bringing warmth and gravitas to his role. Morena Baccarin broods like a pro, and Maddie Hasson injects some much-needed energy into the proceedings. The trio has decent chemistry, even if the script doesn't always give them enough to work with. It's clear these actors are doing their damnedest to turn this mixed bag into something worthwhile, and for that, they deserve credit.

Ultimately, Elevation is a film that aims high but doesn't quite stick the landing. It's got moments of tension and a solid premise, but the slow pacing, underwhelming effects, and lackluster payoff hold it back. Think of it as the cinematic equivalent of climbing a hill only to realize the view isn't quite worth the hike. Still, it's not a bad way to spend a lazy weekend-just don't expect it to change your life.

Rating: 5/10. A decent watch for fans of creature features, but not a must-see by any stretch.

3.125 STARS - Elevation is a post-apocalyptic monster movie where most of humanity has been destroyed and those who survived are only doing so because they learned that the creatures can't go beyond 8,000 feet of elevation. The trigger for the story in this film is that a small group of the survivors must journey into dangerous territory to acquire some life-saving supplies. While it felt rather generic, this isn't the worst I've ever seen. The ending felt a tad too compressed, and because of that, it probably could have benefitted a bit from a few more minutes in that part. Though it clearly got its inspiration from other movies that have done it better, it added its own unique twist on things that made it at least interesting enough to not outright hate. Anthony Mackie and Monica Baccarin performed well here - especially with Monica, during a moment of emotional distress for her character. The main things that jumped out to me as negatives were the typical perfect-timing scenarios that happened toward the end and the predictable character death/situations that occurred. Other than that, it didn't feel flawed enough to recommend a hard pass on. Also, there is a small mid-credits scene to watch if you're interested. Video review to come shortly.

How do these low budget movie companies no one has ever heard of always get these good actors that have years of experience. I genuinely do not understand it, this movie will not even get half of its budget back in the box office but yet somehow they can get these stars that are worth more than their entire movie. Lyrical media has only made 5 movies and all of them have done poorly, there's no incentive for Anthony mackie and morena baccarin to be in this movie. But overall the movie was just meh, the idea of this movie is so unoriginal and uncreative that it's a bit painful it didn't deserve a theatrical release at all.