Review of Dead Again (1991) by Drew S — 30 Jun 2007

Stupid damn movie. There's flashes of brilliance in the tone and presentation, mostly helped out by Emma Thompson's layered and interesting performance (with material that really gives her little to work with). In fact, all the performances are pretty neat because they double over their roles, which is probably the best thing that can be said for the God-awful time lapse plot gimmick.

Dead Again balances its entire storyline on an implausible view of reincarnation, one so much so that it makes the film literally impossible to accept. Having just seen (and enjoyed) Deja Vu, it seems a little unfair of me to pan the film on the basis of a supernatural/larger-than-humanity premise, but at least Deja Vu explored possibilities for its mechanics. Sure, they were tenuous, but they were there. Dead Again creates a shallow philosophical tenet and asking us to weigh our entire suspension of disbelief on it. It is completely risible. Speaking of risible, the climax is almost impossible to take seriously, with a lot of villainous mugging and hilariously uncool one-liners. What a horrible antagonist. Oh, and how gratuitous was the Robin Williams character, really? Veeeeehicle.

Dead Again is a weak mess. Kenneth Branagh's direction, as with his acting, is hit and miss, and the merits that this film is spotted with are far outweighed by the flaws. Skip this one.