Review of The Lazarus Effect (2015) by Quincytheodore — 10 May 2015

Olivia Wilde breathes life to a predictable premise. With a title like The Lazarus Effect, audience would know what to expect and the movie doesn't disappoint in this regard. It dabbles in resurrection theme, moral ambiguity and the usual possession angle. It's not even presented in large scale or big budget, but what separates the movie with the rest are the performance of the actors, especially Olivia Wilde, and its modest yet effective presentation.

A group of scientists stumble upon the serum which can prolong life. However, the result is not exactly what they expect and to make matter worse the university plucks their funding after some moral issue. Desperate to reclaim their experiment, they try to salvage it only to end up in much sinister situation. Fans of the genre might recognize the typical plot point here. The movie happens almost exclusively in the small confine of the laboratory and it makes the best of it.

Mark Duplass as Frank is the lead male, he's pretty invested in this endeavor even to the point of illegality. Duplass gives convincing portrayal of ambitious doctor while also delivers a few intrusive perverse thoughts. The cast is relatively small and they perform capably. The supporting characters offer consistent personalities, but the material could've explored them more.

Olivia Wilde carries the movie beyond what expected from it, simply by giving wide range of emotions to the character. She begins as a stressed doctor and wife, then delves further into deep-rooted negativity. At one point she looks like a frightened victim and the next she turns remorselessly savage with a hint of seductive glare. This constant change could implore sympathy yet also eerily creepy.

The scares are mostly all right, though some predictable jump scares are still shoehorned in. Cinematography keeps a steady contrast between light and dark, occasionally painting the scenes with vivid color for more psychological trip. Some of the horror is on point, but few admittedly miss the suspense it has already set with pedestrian gore.

While The Lazarus Effect doesn't create novel view, Wilde's capable lead ushers it into the realm of above average horror.