Self/less

There are enough twists and turns in Self/less to keep things interesting

At times the screenplay by brothers David and Alex Pastor strikes the proper tone for claptrap.... Mostly, though, the dialogue thuds in circles.

The intriguing story degenerates into a flat-out action movie with car chases and violent shootouts that are competently filmed by Singh but seem to come from a far more conventional film.

Even the resourceful, likable Reynolds is at a loss to elevate this rather dreary piece of would-be escapism, which calls out for the wry, pulpy touch of a John Carpenter (or his acolyte David Twohy) and instead gets the strained self-seriousness of director Tarsem Singh.

The movie takes a decent “Twilight Zone” idea -- what if you had a second chance at youth? -- and runs it into the ground with watchable but diminishing returns.

Eventually, you start to wonder if the movie forgot to take its own pills: What starts out as an interesting exploration of identity soon gives way to the uninspired, generic action flick we had feared it always was.

Self/less is brain/less entertainment, but if there’s any consolation, the impression it leaves is so fleeting that you can soon replace it with better movie memories.

I don't understand the critics. They're probably the type of movie goers who think that all sci-fi should be like star wars. Sure this movie has some flaws and somethings don't make complete sense. But it is a well acted and a well thought out movie.

Selfless was pretty good. The idea of buying a body is great. I enjoyed Ben Kingsley's acting but it was disappointing that he only shows for a few minutes before we are stuck with Ryan Reynolds, who is OK but boring to watch. There are a few really cool plot points that appear in the movie, which I can't mention without spoiling them. I think this movie has some very interesting ideas. I'd have enjoyed it if they explored them in more depth instead of just giving us car chases.

An interesting idea of the movie but for me it isn't done so well - there are some quirks in the storyline and also some of it feels like it has been done before in other movies. Also the storyline is easily predictable more or less. So I don't say that it is an amazing or great movie, but it is decent.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Le postulat de départ est déjà assez casse-gueule, à savoir l'échange non standard d'esprits et de corps mais il est en plus traité par dessus la jambe et globalement aussi incohérent qu'invraisemblable, quel que soit le bout par lequel on le prenne... c'est en outre étonnamment prévisible avec à la fin une petite morale à deux balles bien consensuelle pour ne pas dire carrément niaise. Le film vire également rapidement à la machination hollywoodienne usée et rabâchée, au thriller complotiste fait de bagarres, de coups de feu et de fuites... Il est aussi bavard, du genre pour ne rien dire ou s'écouter parler afin de meubler au maximum le métrage qui n'a rien sous le pied en fait. Certes, on aime bien retrouver Ben Kingsley, un acteur éminent et estimable mais il ne fait ici qu'un gros quart d'heure syndical avant de laisser la place à un Ryan Reynolds en roue libre, l'air plus ahuri qu'autre chose. Finalement, rien à garder, tout à jeter dans ce film foutraque qui brasse du vent... et encore sans aucune conviction.