Cryo Review: Clever Ending Can’t Make Up For Paper-Thin Characters
Movies that keep its premise a secret from the audience are playing a risky game. Compare The Matrix, whose most intriguing concept is that the universe is a virtual mind prison, with The Sixth Sense, which features possibly the most well-known plot twist in cinema history. The Matrix first conceals its true meaning, but reveals it quite early on, giving viewers plenty of time to take it all in. The Sixth Sense, on the other hand, delays the reveal of its central idea for as long as possible, allowing viewers to essentially spend the most of their time viewing a separate film.
Barrett Burgin's feature film debut, Cryo, begins with a straightforward sci-fi setup: After being put into a cryogenically induced coma, five people awaken to find themselves in a bunker with no recollection of who they are. The first person to realise that they are all voluntary participants in an experiment, each picked by the Inventor (Michael Flynn) to test the effects of the gadget, is the engineer who developed the cryo-pods, named 001 (Curt Doussett). engineer predicts that their amnesia will fade. The Inventor, who was supposed to wake them, is nowhere to be found, which is the true issue. The paranoia of knowing that the pods must be physically opened from the outside plagues them as they each settle into their respective positions.
This constrained premise has all the telltale symptoms of a tight budget, and if the film had been better in a few crucial places, it might have worked in its favour. Even though science fiction has the potential to be an epic genre, fans are willing to exchange great spectacle for big ideas, and it hasn't been evident for a while whether Cryo has any to offer. It turns out that it does, and the final few minutes make clear the idea that lies at its core, which is amusing and thought-provoking. This review won't go into detail due of a dedication to not giving away any surprises, which is unfortunate because it is by far the biggest positive aspect.
Despite having its merits, Cryo is so uninteresting for the majority of its running duration that not even a memorable conclusion results in a satisfying overall viewing experience. The opportunity for some rather intriguing conversation regarding the topics this review was unable to cover is the sole solace for those who do invest their time in it.
Barrett Burgin's feature film debut, Cryo, begins with a straightforward sci-fi setup: After being put into a cryogenically induced coma, five people awaken to find themselves in a bunker with no recollection of who they are. The first person to realise that they are all voluntary participants in an experiment, each picked by the Inventor (Michael Flynn) to test the effects of the gadget, is the engineer who developed the cryo-pods, named 001 (Curt Doussett). engineer predicts that their amnesia will fade. The Inventor, who was supposed to wake them, is nowhere to be found, which is the true issue. The paranoia of knowing that the pods must be physically opened from the outside plagues them as they each settle into their respective positions.
This constrained premise has all the telltale symptoms of a tight budget, and if the film had been better in a few crucial places, it might have worked in its favour. Even though science fiction has the potential to be an epic genre, fans are willing to exchange great spectacle for big ideas, and it hasn't been evident for a while whether Cryo has any to offer. It turns out that it does, and the final few minutes make clear the idea that lies at its core, which is amusing and thought-provoking. This review won't go into detail due of a dedication to not giving away any surprises, which is unfortunate because it is by far the biggest positive aspect.
Despite having its merits, Cryo is so uninteresting for the majority of its running duration that not even a memorable conclusion results in a satisfying overall viewing experience. The opportunity for some rather intriguing conversation regarding the topics this review was unable to cover is the sole solace for those who do invest their time in it.