Movie Review - Elevation

I didn't have great expectations for this movie, but fortunately, they were exceeded. Structurally, Elevation is similar to A Quiet Place. The movie opens with radio news/chatter about the attack and then we jump forward three years later.

Focused

I like disaster/alien-invasion movies that are focused on a small group of people as opposed to a grand, sprawling epic with lots of people and scenes that jump from group to group. This movie stays focused almost entirely on only three characters. We learn a little of their backstory and the adventure revolves around only them. I looked up the writers John Glenn, Jacob Roman, Kenny Ryan. All three worked together on Seal Team for three years. Given that, it makes sense that they would have experience writing for a small cadre of characters.

7:42●●● 95%

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Acting

The acting was all around pretty good. There were a few scenes that felt just a little forced, but I would be nit-picking if I singled them out. Mackie brings the same controlled intensity to this role that we've seen in his portrayal of Sam Wilson/Captain America in the MCU, though here it feels more restrained. While this works for the character's military background in the MCU, it sometimes leaves emotional moments feeling understated. I wish the writers would have given him just one scene that forced him to reach deep. I think they missed that point right at the beginning of the movie. It was his son that had gone below the 8,000-foot line. If there had been a scene showing Anthony Mackie realize that his son was missing and watch him run in a panic to the 8,000-foot line to find him he would have been forced into a dramatic scene right from the start. If an actor can't channel the panic, relief, and anger at almost losing their eight-year-old son, then there's not much hope for them.

Morena Baccarin was afforded more opportunities to emote, and she took advantage of them. This is one of her best performances. I've never seen her do anything other than good work, but in this Elevation she has an opportunity to play a slightly different character and she takes advantage of it.

Action/Drama

The action/drama was good, but not great. Again, if we think of A Quiet Place as the cynosure of this genre, then this movie reaches the B-level at best. One thing to like about the action is that they didn't drag it out. The scenes tended to be short and focused and had a point. They didn't go for action just for the sake of action.

Visual Elements

The cinematography makes effective use of the elevation-based setting, with sweeping aerial shots that emphasize the height-based danger zones. The visual effects for the mysterious threat below 8,000 feet are appropriately minimalist, letting the audience's imagination do most of the heavy lifting - a technique that worked well for films like A Quiet Place and Bird Box.

Grade: C+

If you enjoyed Elevation, you might also like:

• Bird Box - Another post-apocalyptic survival story with an unseen threat
• A Quiet Place - Similar focus on a small group of survivors with strict rules for survival
• The Mist - Features a small group dealing with an otherworldly threat
• 10 Cloverfield Lane - Intimate survival story with mysterious external threats

Plot
A single father and two women venture from the safety of their homes to face monstrous creatures to save the life of a young boy.