Led by Marvel Studios star Anthony Mackie, “Elevation” attempts to hatch a new franchise out of the creature feature genre. However, an abysmal screenplay and an onslaught of dull subplots keep this monstrous flick from reaching the heights of its predecessors.
The action horror film follows Will (Anthony Mackie), a widower surviving in a small-knit community high up in the Rocky Mountains. The remaining human population is forced to live at a minimum of 8,000 feet after a horde of ant-like monsters began to ravage the planet three years prior. When Will’s son Hunter grows ill, the father and two other hostile survivors, Nina (Morena Baccarin) and Katie (Maddie Hasson), must trek across the mountain range to find a cure for the young boy before it’s too late.
If the film’s plot sounds at all familiar, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s produced by Brad Fuller, who had a hand in the production of all three “A Quiet Place” films.
The difference between “Elevation” and “A Quiet Place” is that “Elevation” fails to conjure any interesting storylines.
While its premise is intriguing on paper, writers John Glenn, Jacob Roman and Kenny Ryan flounder for any reason for viewers to care about the film’s characters, aimlessly attaching backstories at a slapdash rate, hoping that at least one of them can pull the heartstrings. Surprise, they don’t. When the film isn’t busy exploring these sappy storylines, it focuses on the bitter feud between Will and Nina, leaving Hasson’s character to grasp for narrative straws other than being the protagonist’s love interest. Nevertheless, Will and Nina’s hate-fueled rivalry is nothing more than a generic back-and-forth banter, the subplot leading to a dramatic conclusion that viewers will see coming 8,000 feet away.
In fact, that’s “Elevation’s” greatest weakness, it’s unable to forge a unique identity, completely relying on its contemporaries like “A Quiet Place” and “Bird Box.” Even the phrase, “From the Producers of “A Quiet Place” and “The Purge,” is attached to every poster of “Elevation.”
The film is more focused on baiting audiences into buying seats rather than writing natural, believable dialogue.
By the end of the film, it’s clear that the screenplay was written by the three stooges themselves, ending on a baffling, laughable plot twist that is bound to rile even the most satiable of movie fans.
Although stars such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson have proven that bad scripts can still garner mild critical and box office wins, lead actor Anthony Mackie doesn’t emit enough star-power to amass the same accomplishments.
Mackie delivers a suitable performance in “Elevation”, but his blunt, stoic nature doesn’t allow the film to hit the emotional highs or hilarious lows of the genre, landing in a forgettable middle ground.
Baccarin on the other hand does give the film’s third act a sliver of emotional edge, providing a rather touching monologue about her final day before the apocalypse.
When the film isn’t stuck on its stilted dialogue and snooze-worthy character arcs, it does redeem itself with a handful of adrenaline-fueled action sequences, even if singed with mediocre CGI. With its brisk hour-and-a-half runtime, the story pushes its characters through a variety of locations, each offering different challenges to bypass. It’s not the most enthralling narrative journey, but the action unfolding throughout each region gets the job done. It’s in the film’s climatic hospital showdown that director George Nolfi finally shows his deck.
Overflowing with thrilling cinematography and inventive, well-timed scares, it’s clear that “Elevation” had the potential to be an exciting, if mind-numbing, feature.
The poorly-written monster flick will undoubtedly go down as a box office flop — only earning $2.2 million against its $18 million budget thus far — yet it may find a successful second life in the streaming market with its rather fun, tension-filled action set pieces.
“Elevation” released Nov. 8 and is in theaters.