Natural Selection (2016) Reviews

• Decent acting, script sometimes over the top, but definitely worth the watch

  boeddha_balance2017-02-13

  Both the protagonist and antagonist show some decent acting. A similarity of a troubled past and a lack of love and being taken care of, make the characters struggle with their lives. How they cope with this darkness differs strongly, which makes for a great tension between the two. The antagonist shows great acting skills by not being completely demonized, yet a very manipulative and snide boy who can't stop inflicting his bitterness and nihilism onto others. The downside of this movie is that it lays it on too thick. The overwhelming amount of dramatic past incidents is just too much to remain functional in bringing the viewer to sympathize with the characters, or even makes it incredible and unrelatable. Not all the actors are great, but it is certainly decent enough to make it worth the watch. The main topic of interest is what the protagonist will do with the different forces in his life that are pulling him in different directions, but thanks to the good acting of the antagonist this character is also interesting to watch, aside from the unfortunate fact that he is too easy to read because of the frequent references in the script to what he is planning to do. Lighting and screenwork is also suited to the story; not too flashy, but directing focus the right way. Music is okay, but sometimes a bit too standard for my taste, as it sometimes reminded me of those free tunes that come with your computer.

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• Still waters sometimes run very deep

  bob_meg2016-09-29

  I wasn't at all prepared for this home-grown, strangely moving indie from PA. I found it on DirecTV and these low-budget films are many times a real crap shoot. Two things made me give it a try: 1) An opportunity to see Anthony Michael Hall in more than a cursory walk- on role (a nicely nuanced performance) and 2) The obvious devotion that director Chad Scheifele has to this project. He made a short film of the same title 6 years ago, penned a book, and he's now made a full length feature. As a writer myself, I understand the attachment to something you've poured a lot of yourself into. Scheifele obviously thinks it's been worth the effort. It is. Let's clear the air about a few things first. This isn't a John Hughesy movie, despite Hall's ghostly presence as a security cop on a high school campus. It's not full of a lot of slick airbrushed teen models spouting witty catch phrases (no offense; I love JH). The script is thoughtful, spare, and not afraid to use silence, which I really liked a lot. It also doesn't appear to be (and I may be wrong) one of those Christian Coalition sponsored movies that attempts to push a Christian Message down your throat. Excepting the occasional mentions of God and Jesus, it never really takes that coarse of a path. Tyler (Mason Dye) is the new kid in town and from the start it's obvious that he's the one taking care of his mom (Amy Carlson), an alcoholic, pill-popper who couldn't find her car keys if they were glued to her face. Tyler's only other friend at school besides good- girl Paige (Katherine McNamara) is the enigmatic, hostile Indrid Wardin (nice anagram, BTW). Indrid takes Tyler under his wing in a move that at first seems altruistic, but eventually reveals more sinister undertones. It's obvious Indrid's a man on a mission and it's not one with any sort of happy ending. While this type of plot twist is nothing new, Scheifele doesn't really villainize Indrid the way you'd expect, nor does he wreath Tyler in a golden glow. These are both troubled boys and it doesn't take a PhD to figure out why they're screwed up. Natural Selection's themes are very basic and some might say even over-simplified, but the script and performances are so unadorned that it sells itself in it's genuineness. Ryan Munzert's Indrid is definitely the dark spark here, but Mason Dye's introverted Tyler is in a way just as intriguing, a boiling pot ready to silently explode at any moment. Scheifele's direction and his competent crew's work isn't showy and doesn't draw attention to itself, but it matches the muted mood perfectly. There's a lot to relate to here for most people with the patience to look for it. And it's a relief to know that a labor of love, about love --- love at it's purest, basest level --- can be made and made well.

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• A deep movie with an important message

  jelinafck2018-05-12

  The history is deep and dark, but it's interesting and I like the message it comes with in the end, always stand up for others and tell others what u know.

• Watchable.. I guess

  steven-rick-garcia2018-01-11

  This movie had a very "Lifetime" or "ABC Family" or "Freeform" type of vibe to it, though maybe a bit darker. Very early into the movie, we all know what's going on. The one redeeming thing about this movie, in my opinion, is the antagonist Indrid. Great acting from him, although sometimes way too over the top. It's hard to believe, though, that NONE of the characters could figure out what his intentions were from some of the dialogue he has. A few of the actors sounded like they were reading off of a script, but I guess that comes with the territory of what I'm assuming was a straight to dvd/on demand movie. Overall, I'd say it was a watchable movie. Would I ever watch it again, or even think about it? Definitely not. But if you've got time to kill and have a Netflix account, no harm in checking it out. I don't find myself feeling like I want my time back from watching, so it's not too bad.

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• Hallmark Channel Movie Or After School Special?

  clintstevens2018-03-03

  This movie was SO predictable, I had it figured out 15 minutes into the story. The acting was OK, but unfortunately, the dialog was an embarrassment, and got progressively worse until the inane conclusion, where everything was neatly wrapped up in a tidy package. So, if you know what will happen after 15 minutes, save yourself the time you will spend watching this, and move on to something worthwhile.

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