The Mark (2012)

Being as spoiler-lite as feasible, here's my review as a Christian viewer.Christian films, particularly Christian fantasy films, often struggle to balance plot and religious undertones, which for the most part don't mesh very well in the film. Here, the action and religion seemed to be a bit divorced, with the religion being more isolated and forced. Flashback scenes can be used well, but when most of the spirituality is isolated to these scenes the divide just seems to broaden (and somehow I missed that it was his brother talking about God until near the end). Less concentrated but more spread out spirituality could have made the film feel more unified.I was also cringing at the explanation of the girl who was shot in his past as that seems to be a very ego-centric to Messiah-complex theology. The purpose seems to have been to take the conversation to God and the problem of evil, but there are less problematic ways to bring up the Bible. The plot also seems highly questionable, beyond the guns used on a plane not being more disastrous. Very little background background is given regarding the movie's MacGufin, a microchip, or why a an obvious-villain-trope group is after it. The promo for the sequel at the end of this movie gives more of these details than this movie. Much of the film is excessively stretched out and probably could have been condensed into 15-30 minutes. The whole side plot about getting into the cockpit seemed far from believable.Characterization of non-background characters didn't seem to go beyond stock characters for the most part. Real security should have been able to pick the villains out easily before they boarded. We also know nothing about them, particularly how they know about the chip and why they're after it. I mean, existing microchips aren't exactly worth trying to take out a plane. Plus, there was little done to distinguish the captain and the other uniformed dude who got shot, bloodied his shirt more than necessary, and didn't bleed to death with the lack of real medical support.Overall, really can't recommend this film for anything more than (sparse) background for the sequel, The Mark: Redemption. The potential for a good film fell short of the "mark" as it were.

Avanti Corporation creates one biometric computer chip intended to have some profound interface with a human being. If that were not strange enough, their lab was just about to implant the thing inside a chosen test subject when the lab is attacked. While the lab burns and things are still blowing up, the lab surgeon does an emergency implant into a member of the security force for Avanti, one Chad Turner.Cooper, the failed head of security for Avanti, gets Turner on a plane to a safe place. That does not work. For one thing, Joseph Pike is determined to have the chip.The plane is hijacked by three murderers and one tech accomplice. The attempt at re-taking the plane and killing all the hijackers was almost successful. The lights go out; when they come back on, some passengers are gone, with their clothes left behind. (This event was given a spiritual explanation.) There are more problems than just the departed hijackers.Will the plane land safely?-----Scores-----Cinematography: 2/10 Poor close-ups accompanied by camera shake. Stupid camera angles.Sound: 7/10 The actors are miked OK. The music is not all that effective.Acting: 2/10 Absurdly bad. The lead actor, Craig Sheffer, is perhaps the worst of them all, with Gary Daniels a close second. The pair who played the pilot and co-pilot were terrible.Screenplay: 4/10 The dialog is odd and stilted, especially where Christian beliefs are being injected. There is not much story stretched over 92 minutes.SFX: 4/10 The mock-up of a commercial passenger jet airplane is ridiculous. The animated airplane exteriors were not good.

This movie is fantastic from start to finish. With action through out the entire film that will have you excited and at the edge of your seat. The cast & director did a great job making this film come to life and enjoyable to watch. I can't wait and look forward to the next part of the series. The message in this movie is very easy to follow and makes you think about what to come in the near future. The action is top class and the special effects are awesome even though it might not have been a big budget. This film deserves 5 stars and should be watched by everyone. If i were to compare this film to another in the mainstream market, it would be Die Hard 2 meets Mission Impossible. I would definitely recommend this movie to all my friends and family so that they too can get the experience i did watching this movie. I have part 2 The Mark: Redemption and super excited for this weekend to watch it.

Warning: the review reveals the location of the plot. It seems the few reviews that have been written are at each end of the spectrum. They are a bit exuberant and a bit harsh in my eyes. For a Christian wanting to take in a movie, I don't regret watching the film. Part of the difficult in making this a great film, is the challenge of shooting the entire movie on the plane. This is extremely difficult to do and still keep the interest of the watcher as their are no scenic shots. There was not much intrigue, mystery, or twists in the plot for the most part. The leading actor didn't have a strong performance, but it was decent. Gary Daniels did great work as did Sonia Couling. The rest of the cast was respectable. The script could have been better as it dropped off a bit towards the end.