Flatliners (1990)

I liked the subject matter of this movie: some adventurous young scientists so curious to find out what happens after death they're willing to give it a try and risk their own lives and die for a few minutes ...it's a well made movie too, technically speaking ... exploring morals and human conscience are also among the good aspects of this movie, although not quite deeply exploredm while the director does waste viewer's time by repeating certain scenes although in slightly different ways ...but then trying to prove God exists via a topic that has very little to do with the concept of God and rather related to religion and spirituality, is what made me give it 1 star only ... for the sake of entertainment alone ...the atheist doc doesn't know what atheism is all about and maybe that's why he ends up believing in God, even apologizing 'the man' for having interfered with affairs he -now- believes are only God's expertise ... (how 'bout the university this young doc is studying medicine in gives God a PhD or something in theology perhaps?)i don't say this movie is not worth seeing but if you're a hardcore atheist (i'm not) you may as well not quite like this movie's 'religious message' ...

The basic storyline was to deliver something good. The film couldn't make it.After a few shots, it became clear what the rest of the film was going to be. Then it got slow. I lost the interest after the first half.It's a tiresome watch. But yes, you can watch it.

Five medical students, Nelson Wright, Rachel Mannus, David Labraccio, Joe Hurley and Randy Steckle are fascinated by death; more specifically what happens when one dies. Nelson manages to persuade them to help him with a dangerous experiment; he wasn't them to cause his clinical death then bring him back. After he returns others are eager to go next. The problem is Nelson hasn't told them about what happened after be returned; he has been tormented and even physically attacked by an apparition of a young boy he seriously wronged as a child. As the others follow Nelson by experiencing death they too are taunted by people they believe they have wronged. Dave decides that he must seek out the woman he wronged as a child and apologise. He suggests the others do the same… something that isn't easy if that person died because of you.This is a decent psychological horror even if its central premise is rather flawed; why would these students' near death experiences be considered scientifically more relevant that all the other people who have reported such phenomena? If one can get past that there are plenty of good scary moments; most notably when Nelson and David are tormented by the children they wronged… there is just something disturbing about a child genuinely terrifying an adult. The cast does a fine job; most notably Kiefer Sutherland; who nicely captures the arrogance then terror of Nelson. Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt, Kevin Bacon also impress as Rachel, Joe, Steckle and David respectively. Each time one of them undergoes a near death experience there is the feeling that perhaps this is the time they won't come back… each time they stay dead longer and are harder to bring back. The setting is dark and Gothic which adds to the creepy atmosphere. Overall I'd say this is good enough but isn't really a must see unless you are a fan of one or more of the main cast.

Flatliners is a remarkably audacious, wildly original exploration of one of the taboo topics of science and religion. As far as direction, acting and suspense are concerned, few films rival Flatliners in its all-around splendor. Underneath a deceptively linear and seemingly simplistic script, there is much symbolism and underlying subtlety to be found in Schumacher's brilliant vision. This is without doubt an intriguing premise and the movie does well to focus on the horrific hallucinations that the group experience rather than on the religious connotations.Yeah, there are some medical and technical aspects that do not make logical sense, but if you are willing to suspend disbelief just a tad, this can be a very engaging film. First, a note about the artistic quality of the movie. Some have complained about the murky lighting, and the illogical nature of the sets - but for me, the use of innovating lighting techniques, the plastic and sheet draped sets, the unusual settings in old buildings and dank, dripping tunnels, the use of statuary, rain and billowing curtains - all add a poetic flavor to this film, a haunting beauty that suits the dark nature of the questions being asked about life, death and forgiveness.However, this could have been done better, and there are several holes in its plot such as the innocence of children and whether they really deserve to be haunted by what they did when they were younger. Plus the fantastic cast can all be remembered in better roles, especially Kevin Bacon, who is outstanding with whatever role he's given. Still, 'Flatliners' is entertaining enough when it resides in horror, and if it's placed in this genre then it's relatively intelligent.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.