 Although I still consider the whole superhero/superpower thing cool, I can't really deny that it has somewhat started its decent after peaking with 'Avengers: Endgame'. Everyone feels a bit differently about the whole situation, and I remain somewhat positive for now. But this was definitely a title that made me question whether or not they've finally run out of ideas enough to simply repeat them.
This one comes to us from Norwegian writer/director André Øvredal; the guy who made 'Trollhunter' and 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark', both of which I reviewed fairly positively. It's also not full-Norwegian like 'Trollhunter', so subtitles meet a kind of half-way point. This seems to be this director beginning to spill over into American filmmaking, although still staying true to his routes - routes that sadly repeat what American films have already done to death. Quite basically, a guy named Eric (Nat Wolff) wakes up in the woods after a supposed fire. Dazed, he wanders and tries to fix himself up at a medical clinic, but is harassed by a car full of teenagers, one of which he ends up killing through some unknown power. The police eventually pick Eric up, and have a young psychologist named Christine (Iben Arkelie) speak to him about the apparent murder, as well as a fire that killed five people he's suspected of starting. He doesn't quite understand his powers, only that they go off when he's emotional and long story short, he and Christine eventually become fugitives while trying to learn what happened to him, and how he can harness and control his powers. Being that it's all Norwegian and deals with superpowers, namely lightning, I'll give you two guesses as to what the story touches on. Combine that with a touch of just about any 'X-Men' movie and some 'Infamous' and this is what you get. But it's not crossed over in a good, creative way. It's just... repetitive. There's nothing much here you haven't seen before. I think the biggest criticism I can give to the film is that it drags to a point where it makes something about having superpowers actually kind of boring. Nothing much happens here, and it spends most of the time with the same lingering questions over their heads - to put it bluntly, "what's up with these superpowers". Other movies have done this kind of thing creatively and well while being their own thing; 'Chronicle' really springs to mind as a good example. This is a movie that's just kind of going through the motions, and it's truly un-unique. At the end of the day, this is a bit of a throwaway, but I still have my eye on this director for his work on 'Trollhunter' and 'Scary Stories'. He may just be one of those hit-or-miss guys, and in that case, this was one title he "missed". Although it may be decent for Norway, as it touches on some of that folklore, in North America we have superheroes coming out the wazoo and delving into Norwegian folklore covers only a few of them (namely one). It's not exciting or really even fun, and it takes itself too seriously, giving us a brooder who even Batman would look at and tell he needs to calm the hell down. I think the one thing I could possibly give this movie is in how it ends on a complete tone shift that somewhat fits its story. But even still, without getting too far into spoiler territory, it takes from things like 'Infamous' and doesn't feel entirely unique. All in all, one way or another, this is something you've seen before. Guy is confused about new powers, someone helps him understand his powers, and it's up to him to harness and control those powers before he kills everyone. It's a bit of a blend of superhero film tropes, but there really isn't much here to help it stand on its feet. 2/5
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