Beyond (2014)

There's a lot to like about this relationship film set in a sci-fi situation. A neurotic but likable young couple meet and fall in love just as news that an asteroid may hit earth in a few years is announced. Is there any point in being together? We intercut the scenes of their evolving early relationship with sometime after the 'asteroid' has arrived and turned out to be a giant alien ship. Earth is now under siege, with the great majority of people have already been abducted by the aliens, leaving our couple to survive and try to stay hidden, putting their already tumultuous relationship into a seemingly fatal spin. All this is fairly strongly acted by Richard J. Danum and Gillian MacGregor. But then there's the twist ending. I love a good twist provided it feels fairly set up and makes sense…. most of the time. But this is the rare case where the twist – while fairly grounded - weakened the whole film for me since – at least personally – I thought the story BEFORE the twist was much more compelling and original than the 'explanation', which seemed far more familiar as an idea.

The story is a retelling of a theme that's been done before, but it's done well and the acting is very good in my opinion.There are so many clues as to what's actually going on, the repeated phrases, the surreal events... sonogram in the woods, come on people, it's not literal. The people shown in multiple roles (think Wizard of Oz here... "and you were there, and you were there...") Also we go from impending doom from an Asteroid to Alien invasion with no one questioning the transition. As another reviewer has mentioned, The scenarios in the film are all there because they are something the main character has seen or experienced.I believe that the bad reviews are due to people taking the movie too literally. I see the whole movie as sort of a fever dream" When I watched it, I immediately thought of "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge". When you realize what's going on it makes much more sense. Overall, I would recommend it.

This movie tries to bill itself as a sci-fi survivor story, but just can't quite keep the charade going. First and foremost this film is a ponderous relationship drama. In fact, I'd argue it's a melodrama. The main character is an aloof, disconnected slacker with no more attractive qualities than his swarthy, ill shaven, casually dressed actor can bring by default. His girlfriend Maya is a needling, immature, inconsistent, over-emotional fountain of simultaneous boredom and annoyance.There is nothing to like here. The progression is simultaneously flat and instantaneous, with no actual payoff. The entire premise of the movie is thrown out in its last seconds as an elaborate symbolic representation of the characters' relationship struggle.If you enjoy sniffing your own farts and think that it's particularly engaging to point out the symbolic nature of the static on the television screen over the character's left shoulder while they try to eat pasta from an upside-down fork, this is the film for you.If you want something that isn't trying to be an over-pretentious melodrama, look elsewhere.

This movie is intensely a relationship drama. The marketing of this film was done so egregiously that if you were prepared for a fascinating look into a post alien invasion world and how to stay in a relationship...you would be sorely upset.The truth is that the entire "invasion" is used as a metaphor to help explain the emotions coursing through the protagonist. I'm saddened at the attempt to use Sci-Fi as a ploy to gain attention.The most glaring and obnoxious choice by the creative team is using a T-shirt which appears to have the design of the floating space craft from District 9.But I digress, aside from the blatant attempt to mislead the viewer and the glaring lack of actual science fiction in the film...the acting was superb.If you are able to make it to about the midway mark of the movie then you'll understand. However if you have refused to watch and only wish to move to other more complete films...keep reading. Spoilers ahead:During the course of the flashbacks there is an interaction between the protagonist and the man he saved. This conversation is very revealing and if you remember the first line of the movie and you have some knowledge about Norway then you can begin to piece together the clues left behind at a very alarming rate. It was around here that the movie fell completely apart for me. I realized that the interactions and flashbacks were the main story and everything else was the protagonists imagination. Another clue that was revealed quite early on, how he wanted to keep her in one place and never let her go anywhere with him. Had this been a purely psychological thriller...which it should have been advertised as...I would expand on the many different ways that one concept could be explained or defined by his mind. But we've not time for that. In the end he is shot by the man he's saved. And his flash backs are his minds way of trying to understand and cope with the stress and shock of the situation our protagonist had been placed in. And yes, while in the parking garage the man is dying, we see him in the hospital bed with a strong pulse and his eyes moving in REM sleep.The acting saved this movie and I believe that the writer may have intended for a completely different ending. But we may never know for sure.While I recommend this movie for its acting. I do not recommend this movie for the utter lies and disappointment regarding what was supposedly a Sci-Fi invasion romp. There are many pieces of sci-fi in this film that in no way math with the end result. Again why I said that I believe the writer had a much different vision than say the producers.