Unidentified

Are the reports of UFO sightings, abductions and encounters genuine, a hoax, or are they something more sinister and evil? That’s the question that's raised in the new movie Unidentified, and there are some intriguing possibilities presented here that may spark some interesting conversations. However, the question of whether or not this is a movie that has mass appeal is an entirely different subject.

Rich Christiano, director of Unidentified, is a very outspoken Christian and as such he has made it very clear that he believe movies should honor God first and everything else is secondary. That philosophy can certainly be seen on screen in his latest film. Unidentified contains all the elements that might be considered necessary to make a good Christian film, but there are also some elements missing that would have made it a more compelling movie to watch. Like Peter Jackson did with King Kong, Christiano introduces some characters whose story arcs aren't followed through to a satisfactory conclusion. One of the premises of the film is that these alien abductions are really demonic activity designed to deceive people to the Truth. One of the characters who first encounters this phenomena is tormented by the events that are taking place and is desperate for them to end. When he's told that the only way to find solace is to turn to Jesus, he eventually does so. This is all fine and good, but what happens when he does? Do the alien visits stop? Do the voices go away? Does he find solace and peace with Jesus? We're never told, and are left to make our own assumptions. This conversion seemed to me to be a key point to the plot, especially considering the message of the film, so it's an oversight not to offer a more complete conclusion to this particular story arc.

Despite the lack of any name recognition among the actors, the performances are uniformly solid in Unidentified. They aren't going to win any oscars, but no one really embarasses themselves either. The main roles performed by Jonathan Aube and Josh Adamson are done well-enough, with Adamson playing the part of the skeptic that’s easily antagonized rather well. The sole recognizable name among the cast is Rebecca St. James, and while she is solid in her acting debut, her role is one that's completely expendable. I'm not sure if there was a need to have someone people would recognize in the film, but Ms. St. James is unfortunately wasted in a role that has little or nothing to do with the story. Still, she does well enough and I could certainly see her doing more acting in her future, hopefully in more key roles. The one part that I felt was either miss cast, poorly written or miss performed was that of the Christian which is portrayed by Michael Blain-Rozgay. His portrayal of a solid, Bible believing Christian is a joyless, intense, antagonistic person; exactly the type of Christian you would want to avoid. Even in moments of levity, his character always has some serious, intense point to make that's designed to rebuff or otherwise challenge others. While as a Christian I applaud his willingness to stand firm in what he believes, I didn't appreciate the fact that he always seemed out to pick a fight. After Aube's character finally realizes his need to decide for sure what he believes, he and a mysterious old man that shows up later in the film were much better representations of Christians.

The production values for Unidentified reminded me a lot of what Christian movies made by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Society looked like in the late eighties and early nineties. There's nothing here that's on par with Hollywood, but this would have certainly have made a good TV movie of the week or a solid direct-to-video film selection. Perhaps what's most disappointing about Unidentified is how much we are told as to how much we are shown. Perhaps it's due the restraints of the budget, but just about everything that happens in this film happens through dialogue. Now I love a good dramatic film that’s carried mostly through what characters say - if it's done well and the subject material lends itself to such a thing - but when you're dealing with alien and demonic activity, especially in a movie, audiences want to see something more than vague clouds and beams of light, especially when the film reaches its climatic resolution. There are a lot of intriguing ideas in this film that would have had much more dramatic weight if we weren't just told about what’s happening through talk all time and actually got to see some results, some clues, and some findings instead of only hearing about them. In fact, if we had seen some resolution to this story instead of being left to make our own assumptions about how things were resolved based on conversations by key characters its conclusion would have been much less ambiguous.

Unidentified has some fascinating theories about the UFO phenomena, many of which tie into our society's fascination with the paranormal and supernatural. Personally, I'd have to side with C.S. Lewis on this issue when he pointed out that even if there is alien life elsewhere in the universe, that wouldn't for one moment change the fact that we are a race in the grip of evil that's in desperate need of a savior. The existence of aliens won't erase the existence of sin on this planet; the only one who can do that is Jesus Christ. In fact, it may be because of sin that our planet is quarantined from the rest of the universe to prevent that taint from spreading. Unidentified presents a different theory for aliens and UFOs, and it's one that could have been quite dramatic if developed more thoroughly. There was even a point near the end where I thought this film was really going to make a lasting, dramatic impact, but even that was underplayed and undeveloped. There is a great story buried in here, worthy of the X-Files/CSI/Left Behind, however, with its use of a lot of Christian jargon, an assumption that people will know certain things about Christianity and its basic tenets, Unidentified is merely a good Christian movie. Whether or not other audiences will be entertained, or more importantly from the filmmakers perspective, changed by it isn't a sure thing. Still, there are some challenging ideas here that can provoke some great discussions, especially as we consider what our role is in the universe and whether or not we have a purpose, and if there’s forces out there that want to prevent us from fulfilling that purpose.

The Prestige

"It is mine to avenge, I will repay." (Deuteronomy 32:35) Just about everyone knows that the Bible says vengeance is the Lord's, but have you ever wondered why? The Prestige provides us with an answer. This dark tale of lies, deceit and vengeance shows just how destructive these tendencies truly are. Despite it's less than uplifting story, however, The Prestige is one of the most tightly written, well preformed and intriguingly tricky films I've seen this year. I may not have gone home with any sort of feel good feeling, but my mind was still examining the twists and turns as I tried to figure out any clue I might have missed long after I left the theatre, which for me at least, makes for one fun time at the movies.

The key to making The Prestige so intriguing is the reveal at the end (which, by the way, I will not reveal to you.) I say reveal for a very specific reason. It's not so much of a gotcha kind of twist ala Shamalyan, but it's really a revelation of what had been taking place all along right in front of your eyes. It's kind of like when you find out how a magician has been pulling of a particular trick. You say, "Ohhhhh, that's how it was done" and then you want to see the trick again in order to watch for what you now know is really taking place; you want to see if you can spot the sleight of hand. So don’t let anyone spoil the secret for you before you see this film.

Aside from Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan is known for well-crafted stories that seem to be made up of many disparate pieces that actually all fit together perfectly. The Prestige is another such story. As the story unfolds, its many layers and parts may seem completely unrelated, but by the end, you look back and realize it all fit together perfectly, you just had to know where to look while Nolan pulled his cinematic sleight of hand. Part of makes all of this trickery and deceit work so well is the performances of the cast. Christian Bale puts in another solid performance, and the always reliable Michael Caine brings some refinement and class to this dark story. The true stand-out, however, is Hugh Jackman. Any trace of his Wolverine persona is completely gone, and in its place is a man who goes on a journey that changes him in subtle, dark and complex ways. I've never been a Hugh Jackman fan as I've never really felt that he’s been able to establish himself beyond the character of Wolverine, but after seeing him in this role, that perception was completely erased. Jackman is an extremely talented actor who uses his skills with perfection in a movie that needed nothing less to make it work.

Although the intrigue and twists of this film are a lot of fun, I have to warn you, you aren't going feel good when you leave the theatre. As I said earlier, this is a dark film. There aren't really any heroes in this film, or any characters that you can really feel any real sympathy for. The characters continually make choices that take them further and further down a path of destruction. The true tragedy is that no matter what horrifying event happens to these characters, no matter how much destruction surrounds these people, they never learn. They never come to a point where they step back and look at what they’re doing in order to assess if this is a journey they want to continue; until it's too late. As I watched, I couldn't help but hope that the audience I was watching with would take notice of what was happening and apply it their own lives. How many of us find vengeance to be sweet? However, if we go too far, and we might end up like the characters in The Prestige; or worse, if that were possible. How many of us have been obsessed, especially with something that someone else had that we felt we deserved. In fact, how many of have destructive tendencies that constantly linger beneath the surface just waiting for release? The Prestige shows us what happens whenever we pursue these paths; they lead to destruction, not only in our own lives but also in the innocent lives of people around. The characters in The Prestige never stop to consider this, and that's what makes this film so dark. It is a dramatic, visual parable of the Proverb “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.� (Proverbs 14:12 NIV) That’s exactly what the characters in The Prestige experience, and if we're not careful, we could also fall into the same trap.

The Prestige is moody, dark, complex and intriguing. This is a film that you will need to pay attention to if you really want to enjoy it, and more importantly, learn from it. After I left, I realized that I would need to go back and watch it again to make sure I caught everything and that I knew exactly how all the pieces fit. After a summer of mindless blockbuster popcorn films, I'm glad that the fall is bringing back films that not only entertain audiences, but engages them as well. So is The Prestige a good film? Absolutely. Is it a film that will make you feel good? Absolutely not. It's up to you, then, to decide if the journey, the revelation and most importantly the lesson will be worth it.