The Phoenix Project (2015)

Beautiful, moving film.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

The problem with this movie is that the premise is moot.I personally have been dead for a period of time (granted, hours, not days), and was brought back to life. My body was brought to a hospital, not a house (as in this movie), and the work was done by medical professionals (not as in this movie). The year was 2005, ten full years before this movie was made.Let's skip the discussion of the after-death and re-integration experience issue; leave it for another time and place. And, I don't want to write a spoiler.The fact is I'm alive and healthy today, and I have all (or at least most) of my memories. I'm writing this review. Aside from a nurse welcoming me back as "a member of the walking dead - don't worry, there's more of you every day" (I'm presuming she was just being a wise-ass), there's nothing creepy or even dramatic about the experience. Profound, yes. But, as the nurse noted, this has become a daily phenomenon. There aren't riots in the streets, and people aren't agonizing over it. The practitioners aren't losing sleep about it or worrying about becoming pariahs.Technically, the movie is OK, it's just that the premise is, well, way out of date. That effectively drains most of the real drama from the film.

I love me a slow, dull movie where the characters are more concerned with just standing around talking about things rather than having big action sequences. No I'm being completely serious, I love my sci-fi long and drawn out with a haunting indie score. Just look at Solaris or Stalker. Not a movie meant for your average movie-goer thoughThe Phoenix Project is a modern day homage to Frankenstein and one that would make Mary Shelley proud. It's exactly what I needed to in a low budget sci-fi and one that will leave you feeling a little hollow but encapsulated by its bleakness.When four scientists move into a home to begin a project of raising the dead via their ingenious machine, tensions flare as the project becomes more about personal ambitions, career obsessions and underlying motivations rather than simply breathing new life into a dead mouse. Directed by Tyler Pavey, this film as previously mentioned isn't flashy. You'll get no scenes akin to Dr. Frankenstein screaming 'IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE! MY GOD IT'S ALIVEEEEEEEEEE!'. You'll get no monster terrorizing the countryside.You'll get four dudes doing science in a garage and you'll like it consarnit!This movie is concerned with the relationships between the scientists as they deal with the frustrations of scientific advancement, the tensions associated with limited grant money and getting their tests exactly right, and most importantly the flair of temperaments from living in such close proximity to each other throughout the project.I believe the alternative title is something like 'Technology with unexpected consequences' and that's basically the best way to summarize the film. It's a film that questions morality in scientific advancement and reveals the unintended ramifications of trying to blaze new trails.Decently acted, the four main characters show extreme levels of chemistry on screen as the story waxes and wanes through collusion, comradery, and eventually collapse. The story is character development at its finest as we see a spectrum of emotions from all four scientists as they each have to confront their personal demons and are pushed to the brink in order to achieve immortality both in terms of their scientific contributions and more literally with the success of their reanimation project.If you like minimalist science fiction you'll love this film. If you adored the story of Frankenstein for reasons other than the monster you'll love this film. It's a character driven plot with masterful levels of human drama and it all takes place in a 2,500 sqft home. I encourage you to watch the credits in their entirety and just let that level of creepiness sink in if you still wish it were more like Frankenstein.Read the full review and others like it on the Drive-in Zeppelin Website

I honestly can not believe so many were disappointed with this film. I thought it was well written and well acted. I am a science geek so maybe that is why I enjoyed it more than most. It did move slowly, but that is the type of film it was meant to be. It was more about getting to know and staying attached to the characters.I loved the fact that they had moral issues with the experiment and were not afraid to voice that. There can be a very fine line between Science and Moral issues and they a good job depicting those emotions..I thought it was a very powerful, emotional moving film.I agree with the others about the end. I sure wish it would have ended on a better note..

A terrible boring going nowhere film. Not even a "pet Cemetery" moment at all. Save yourself. The guys hole up in a rented house and conduct reanimation projects. They fail several times before the lead student cheats by moving the subject on the pretence of success even for a limited time. They then find out the lead had tried this before and been caught by the faculty. One of the participants has a brain dead sister and reviving her is his hidden agenda.... The group breaks down from the lies and deceit. But a couple manage to revive a rabbit - hazel from Watership Down i think. In order to convince the other guys it could work, he commits suicide and forces them to "do him" They revive the guy with great success. Except he has his mind "wiped".... Derrr...!!! He does not go on a rampage, eat people, become violent, speak in a cryptic ancient language, spout Einsteinian intellect. Nothing. He is just dumb. They pack up and leave. And the film ends. The suspense is incredible. But it finally ends... Thanks be to god.