Connect with us

News

Review: ‘Lifechanger’ Shape-shifts Between Love And Rot

Published

on

Lifechanger tells the story of Drew, a shape-shifting murderer who has the power to inhabit the bodies of his victims.  Drew also absorbs their memories and thoughts, which allows him to convincingly function within a victim’s life. 

Once able to inhabit a single body for several years, Drew’s life-force has weakened over time.  As the film opens, Drew finds himself in a position where he’s only able to inhabit a body for a few hours before his false skin peels away. 

Because of this, Drew must claim a new body every day.  He kills anyone he comes into contact with, and because of this, Drew can never enjoy any semblance of a normal life.  He has six hours.  That’s how long the bodies typically maintain their form and texture before they crumble.  Then he has to find someone else. 

Writer-director Justin McConnell portrays Drew as a tortured soul whose relationship with immortality is every bit as doomed and tragic as that of a vampire.  Whereas the vampire feeds on blood, Drew requires body and soul.  Like the vampire, Drew’s consciousness of time is always amplified.  His body is his coffin. 

Like any clinical, prolific murderer, Drew expertly disposes of his victims, whose bodies transform into withered shells after Drew sucks away their life energy.  Then Drew experiences their life.  He kills a dentist, a police detective, anyone he can find.  He slips into their lives, for a few hours, and then he moves on.  Although Drew plays many different roles in the film, female and male, he is really no one.  

Lifechanger is an ambitious film.  Instead of portraying Drew solely as a monster, Drew appears as a uniquely tragic figure whose primary motivation for continuing with his dreary existence is his forbidden love for a woman who knows him only through the different faces and personalities that he presents to her.  For Drew, loving anyone means killing them. 

Lifechanger is also a good-looking film.  McConnell and his cinematographer, Sasha Moric, establish an antiseptic and bleak look throughout the film that continually evokes the possibility of menace, even during the film’s daylight scenes. 

The performances are also effective, especially Lora Burke who plays Julia, the object of Drew’s affections, and Jack Foley, who plays Robert, the last body Drew inhabits in the film.  The special effects in the film are also impressive.  Lifechanger is a well-made film.

I wanted to praise Lifechanger on a filmmaking level so I could highlight the film’s problems, which are almost entirely related to logic and narrative.  The most egregious example of this, and indeed the film’s biggest handicap, is the reveal of Drew’s thoughts through narration. 

Drew’s narration is distracting and jarring.  It serves no purpose.  What happens is that Drew, the narrator, gives us information that should be implied or visualized in the film.  In fact, Drew’s thoughts are visualized throughout the film, which makes the narration absolutely pointless.  Film is, of course, a visual medium, and the effect of this narration is to dissipate suspense and tension while adding levity to scenes that are supposed to be serious in tone. 

Quite simply, if this narration was excised, Lifechanger would be a markedly better film.  The film tells too much.  Without the narration, the revelation of Drew’s unholy power would be much more surprising than it is now.  It makes a big difference.  The narration in the film takes the viewer out of the story. 

Other scenes contain too much exposition.  Again, we are given information that we have seen, or will see, represented on screen.  An example of this is the closing scene between Drew, in the body of a man named Robert, and Julia, the woman Drew loves.  After making love, Drew, as Robert, decides to reveal his entire history to Julia, who thinks he’s crazy. 

Without giving too much away, let me just say that the resolution of this final scene between Drew and Julia isn’t nearly as powerful as it could be.  As Drew has the potential to kill anyone he comes into contact with, I think that it would have been much more appropriate and effective if Drew had inadvertently taken Julia’s life-force during the act of lovemaking.  

As the sequence exists now, the relationship between Drew and Julia comes to an end following a disjointed, ponderous monologue from Drew.  Again, too much is said here.  This creates an awkward transition to the final scene in the film, which is otherwise very effective.  In fact, the ending of the film works so well precisely because Drew’s fate is revealed entirely through images. 

Also, if we’re asked to believe that a woman is worth living a life of misery for, one would expect said woman to be quite extraordinary.  However, Julia is a remarkably unremarkable woman.  Mildly-attractive, Julia is an alcoholic, beleaguered young woman who spends most of her nights in a local bar, the location where she meets Drew’s various incarnations.  The bar location itself is too ubiquitous throughout the film, in terms of its proximity to Drew’s various identities, which sometimes gives the film a repetitive feel. 

I watched Lifechanger twice, on consecutive days, and I liked it much better the second time.  The second viewing also reinforced my belief that there’s a much better version of Lifechanger that’s contained within the film’s current eighty-four minute running time.  As it sits, Lifechanger is a diamond in the rough, waiting for a new identity. 

 

 

 

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

Published

on

Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

News

‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

Published

on

Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

News

How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

Published

on

Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

Embed Gif with Clickable Title