Review of Self/less (2015) by Nate Z — 13 Jul 2015

The most surprising thing about Self/less occurred approximately 115 minutes into the film itself, when it revealed that Tarsem Singh was the director. Tarsem is known for lavish visual cinematic canvases such as The Cell and Immortals, and to realize that this is the same man responsible for an otherwise disappointing and visually mundane sci-fi thriller. Why hire a visual stylist and then restrict him to such a limited palate? Self/less is an intriguing premise (borrowed a tad from Seconds) and it keeps all the interesting ethical and psychological questions at bay to follow a generic thriller formula. There's not one real surprise in this film; even the reveals and surprises will be easily telegraphed. Ben Kingsley plays Damian, a dying rich man who undergoes a risky experiment to live longer, having his consciousness transferred into a younger human host played by Ryan Reynolds. It's another chance to be young, party, enjoy sexual relations with women who are more likely to go home with somebody who looks like Reynolds. There's a catch: if he stops taking his special red pills, the host's brain will take over control. That's because, surprise, the bodies aren't grown in labs but are human volunteers. Here could be some topical class exploitation and social commentary, but Self/less ignores the more intriguing direction at every point to play it safe. Damian finds his host's family and from that point on it's a series of chases with bad guys. One of those chases is actually fairly entertaining, utilizing a conjoined automobile in a clever and devastating way. It never feels like Reynolds and Kingsley are playing the same character. Reynolds' charm is subsumed by this role and he feels adrift. I'll admit that this movie is efficient and each scene pushes the story forward; it's just the direction of that story I'd like to alter. Alas, Self/less is an competent but fairly underwhelming thriller that squanders its premise.

Nate's Grade: C+.