Glenn B
I have no time for this garbage.
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
12/13/24
Full Review
Kevin L
Nice piece of sci-fi drama with a strong ensemble cast. Writer/director James Ward Byrkit keeps the whole proceedings taut and tense, with good pacing. Tone is maintained as well.
Not sure the ending works that well, but I assume he wanted to keep it open-ended, which makes sense in general. But in this case, it seemed too easy rather than the harder job of answering a question or three.
3.2 stars
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
12/09/24
Full Review
Ralph R
Coherence is a fascinating sci-fi thriller that really messes with your head, in the best way. The story is smart, simple, and incredibly engaging. Watching the group slowly unravel as they realize they’re caught in a web of parallel realities was both tense and exciting. The twists kept me guessing, and the way everything ties together at the end made it feel like a puzzle worth solving.
That said, the cinematography was a big letdown for me. I get that it’s a low-budget movie, but that doesn’t excuse the constant shaky camera and out-of-focus shots. It made some scenes frustrating to watch, especially when the story was so good. A proper camera stand and better lenses could’ve made this a much more enjoyable experience. The shaky style might’ve been intentional to add to the tension, but for me, it just felt sloppy and distracting.
Overall, I really enjoyed the movie’s concept and execution—minus the visual issues. Coherence shows you don’t need a big budget to tell a great story, but a little more effort on the cinematography could’ve elevated it to a whole new level. Still, it’s worth watching if you love mind-bending, thought-provoking films. Just be ready for the shaky ride.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
12/04/24
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J T
Excellent low-budget mind-bender. Amazing what good writing and good acting can create. A new take on a small group of people in an altered reality; very, very well done.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
12/03/24
Full Review
Anthony H
One of the best sci Fi movies you’ll watch, it excellent
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
11/24/24
Full Review
Gabriel S
Do you know the feeling of walking a greenie field, the birds are chirping, and the Sun is high in the blue sky, yet, the breeze is cool, almost chilling, but recomforting. The smell is a mix of fruity sweet with woody dirt, the trees towering high, providing shade and all sorts of shadows. Then, you step in a pile of dog dung. That's the feeling of watching Coherence.
The movie itself is a great sci-fi experience. The passing of Comet Miller is not raising that many expectations, except for its interference in the world. While friends gather to have dinner, hang around, and chill, an eerie sensation is stale in the air. A blackout occurs, except for one house down the street, and further investigation of the interior of the house changes their lifes forever.
The story follows main character Em, a sort of lackluster dancer on the verge of divorce. She must choose between staying idle where she is or accepting to live abroad with her husband Kevin, who is also in this dinner.
Through the lens of technicality, Coherence is a solid 8. Apparently, Director James Byrkit wanted a unique and convincing story, so he got the actors with minimum information to play along, directing them throughout the shooting, the actors having only but their improvisation techniques to hold them together. Actor Nicholas Brendon said he didn't even know what was the scope of the story until he saw the full movie.
This should ring a bell with movie fans, reminding them of one masterpiece called The Blair Witch Project from 1999. Coherence is shot in third person, but the scenes play along in a similar fashion to Blair Witch's, in which the action is sort of genuine, even the dialogue is intense, with characters talking over each other, a trait that usually does not happen in movies but happens often in real life.
The cast is another highlight, a great set of actresses and actors playing their best to keep character, considering all the odds that they were into. All of them deliver, culminating in the performance we get.
Coherence misses the 10-star mark in cinematography because the camera work is a bit frantic, all over the place. Before you get the hang of the ride, you might feel dizzy and nauseous, like in a rollercoaster, but once you adjust to the movement, you are good to go.
Yet, considering this movie is low budget, we are talking 50k here, I say the movie is a great show of how less, sometimes, is more.
The plot is pure sci-fi mystery, a great and compelling plotline that keeps you hooked until the very end while you wonder what the hell is going on, and, later, how are they going to get out of this mess.
Which leads to the ending, a disappointing denouement to an otherwise great piece of cinema. This is, of course, biased to what I expected from the story, but I guess most people would agree that we wanted a better resolution to the mess that Em got into.
It is one of those endings that you either love or hate, no in-betweens. I personally expected more, but, as a writer myself, I understand the power of open endings in fiction. I just feel like this one didn't resonate, leaving just an open crater in my stomach. After all that happened, I guess I wanted full resolution, goddamit.
Then, again, the power of open endings. Others could potentially understand the philosophy behind Coherence, totally getting the full closure of the story.
Like it or not, you can't completely dismiss the movie on one scene, and I figure Coherence is a smart sci-fi thriller done the right way. Like fancy dishes, one might miss the point with this movie, but it does not make it a bad dish, just misunderstood.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
11/18/24
Full Review
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