WATCH NOW
Written and directed by Daniel Groom, “ When a boy goes missing for a day then gets found, his disjointed behaviour puzzles the family and the doctors which leads to the shocking truth of alien abduction”. The film stars Micheal Anthony Coppola, Demitra Papadinis, Owen Myre, Ethan Boucher, Patience McStravick, and Devin Henry.
Every single film from any genre has that one classic trope where a character disappears and reappears behaving weirdly but this trope is mostly famous for its use in the sci-fi world. It works very well in this context especially when events are further altered by the merging of timelines shifting between our parallel worlds. Unfortunately, the fixing of the writing becomes more apparent and negative as the film continues. The film is set at a somewhat slower-than-ideal pace, and it is unfortunate that the more sinister sense which is brought through towards the end of the film is shown at the end. That sinister dark sense could have benefitted the film, but it is unfortunate that it was shown too late in the day.
There is also an issue with its pacing as it does not seem to progress. The story seems to be mostly stagnant because there is an overemphasis on the breakdowns that the protagonist goes through. Being carried mainly by such a young performer does not help the story at all. You can clearly see the effort Owen Myre puts into his physical performance, which is quite a lot, but it seems to lack emotional depth which makes it greatly unbalanced. It does not reach out constructively sympathetic, however, that is mainly due to never knowing further details about his character aside from his current alien shenanigans. The characters as a whole are not the strongest part of this narrative. Regardless, the best among them still is Ethan Boucher’s Bradley who is unexpectedly decent.
The colour palette is very cold, which adds to the mystery of the story. It goes for an observer approach, which makes it feel chilly. Although the framing and angles are a bit chaotic, the film is unable to sustain an engaging environment. The emotional and day-to-day moments would have been more captivating with the aesthetic having a hint more warmth. The make-up and effects work does not succeed either as it portrays Riley as a zombie and the alien stuff is bland. It decides to choose a style that is reminiscent of the popular design 20 years back, which, foreshadowing how crucial the reveal of the alien elements is, is disappointing. Overall, the ending is weak, appearing anticlimactic and unable to justify the build-up of the climax. Rather, it focuses on the fact that the plot does not feel touched entirely.
Alternate Ground captures a brilliant sci-fi concept but does not maximize its potential. The direction is rather lifeless and the color palette is devoid of excitement. The story works all right, but to develop a more satisfactory conclusion, it needed additional depth in terms of character development, origin exploration, and placing the crux of the circumstantial conflict. Overall, good elements are present but the way in which they are assembled lacks optimality.
To watch more movies like Alternate Ground (2021) visit 123Movies.
Also Watch for more movies like:
