There’s been a longstanding criticism of sci-fi films about its lack of Black characters. For the past few years, Anthony Mackie has been successfully representing Black masculinity in the otherwise homogenous genre and I am here for it. The ‘Outside The Wire’ star continues to fight annihilating monsters in ‘Elevation’ alongside veteran sci-fi actress Morena Baccarin.
After humanity is overrun with mysterious, homicidal creatures, those who are left are forced to flee above 8,000 feet into the mountains of Colorado and the surrounding midwest. Survivors have created a network of communities with the expectation of never leaving.
The quickest way to connect an audience to the protagonist is often through their family. Typically, this is done with an overwhelmingly sentimentalized father and daughter relationship. Here, we see a father’s affection for his son take center stage. Especially accentuating is the montage of Will(Anthony Mackie) teaching Hunter(Danny Boyd, Jr.) how to farm and fish. Even without an apocalypse this scene would still be relatable since most dads relish in passing on knowledge to their children.
This introduces a recurring theme in the film which is a father’s willingness to do whatever it takes to take care of his family. Hunter has a respiratory condition that requires nightly breathing treatments. With his supply of oxygen depleted, Will decides to venture beyond their community below the 8,000 feet threshold to a Boulder hospital and retrieve the much needed oxygen canisters. He also expresses his desperation to not lose Hunter since he has already lost his wife Tara(Rachel Nicks).
Tara’s best friend, Katie(Maddie Hasson) accompanies him and he recruits Nina(Morena Baccarin), the alcoholic, lone scientist to join his quest. Tensions continually surface due to Nina’s determination to find a way to kill this existential threat which led to Tara being killed.
In just about every sci-fi movie there is a question the scientists are trying to answer.
“Why did the aliens attack?”
“Why did the earth’s core stop spinning”?
“How does this device work?”
During an early conversation Will offers a more divine explanation for the ‘Reapers’. He suggests they are God’s punishment for eating the fruit in Eden. Nina the scientist stays quiet which is uncharacteristic. Usually the scientists are more than happy to jump in with some “religion is a fairytale” refrain. Maddie is more objective and pragmatically proclaims they are predators and we are prey. Eventually, Nina hypothesizes about their purpose which puts us squarely in the realm of science fiction – an inorganic version of ‘Pacific Rim’.
The performances by the principal players are impeccable. The plot is captivating and the pacing is steady. However, the production falls a little flat. The ‘Reapers’ were convincing enough but there was a scene that involved a close-up of one of their tentacles that looked like paper mache. They needed more distinct features as well.
Also, I never understood why Nina was surprised when they discovered the ‘Reapers’ were machines. It seemed obvious to me from the beginning. When they would shoot at them, the bullets bounced off like they were hitting a tank. Excellent foley, by the way.
There are very few surprises with the typical twists and turns that you would expect in a sci-fi thriller. Nina finds a way to destroy the ‘Reapers’ and humanity prevails. Predictable? Sure. But we need a little ‘good overcoming evil’ right now. A great Father’s Day movie to watch with the older kids and good for date night as well.
