Elevation movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Elevation

This post-apocalyptic thriller releases in theaters on November 7, 2024.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 30 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is about a single father and two women who risk their lives in order to save the life of a young boy during a post-apocalyptic time in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado when strange aliens have killed 95% of the earth’s population.

The film was directed by George Nolfi. Screenwriting credits go to John Glenn, Jacob Roman, Kenny Ryan.

THINGS I LIKED:

The presence of Anthony Mackie on the movie’s poster will definitely attract the attention of fans of his Falcon character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014. He does a great job and shows some impressive emotional depth.
Morena Baccarin is always so glamorous and beautiful. I’ve never seen her look so disheveled like she does in this film (on purpose). She’s rough and tough and gives us a very different character than we’ve seen her do before.
Other cast members include Maddie Hasson, Shauna Earp, and Danny Boyd Jr.
The story offers tension and suspense with heart-pumping moments.
The cinematography by Shelly Johnson is very good.
There is a mystery to be solved about who these aliens are and what they are doing on Earth.
The alien/monsters looked pretty cool and real.
The tagline “Don’t go down without a fight” on the movie poster is clever because “going down” has double meaning.
The movie was filmed in real places like at a ski resort in Colorado where they used real chairlifts, as well as in a real mine, a mile underground, that is in active use today. Impressive.
The director did a great job telling a story but also asking a question to the audience: “Is the very technology and intelligence that helped us evolve and create great civilizations also driving us toward destruction?”

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

There are some moments that are so bad that both my husband and I laughed out loud.
All of the characters are ridiculously stubborn and often unlikeable.
One of the characters is super annoying and acts like a know-it-all. For example, she’s supposed to be tough and skilled at marksmanship, but she breathes in deeply while aiming (which you’re supposed to do) and then the barrel of her rifle shakes like crazy when she actually shoots. Lame.
The sound effects often don’t align with what we’re seeing on the screen.
I love it when a director pays close attention to detail. In this film, a lot of things were missed.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

The aliens might be too scary for young children.
Profanity, including F-bombs
Various weapons are used
Talk of the death of millions of people
A young boy has a serious medical condition that puts his life at risk, requiring medication that is running out.
We see some violence that results in death.