I had mixed to low expectations based on past experience with the genre at hand, and what word of mouth I'd previously gathered. Still, given the chance, I couldn't resist the temptation to check out 'The Phoenix Incident.' I'm surprised to find myself thinking it's considerably better than I anticipated.
We stumble onto movies in different ways. Advertisements and recommendations by friends or family are most common, but often we'll look to movies based on the film-makers or actors involved. For me, it was the delight of seeing voice actors Liam O'Brien, Travis Willingham, Yuri Lowenthal, and Troy Baker in a live action film. Concern as to content or quality is secondary.
'The Phoenix Incident' is a sci-fi thriller about extraterrestrial contact, taking the form of a "found footage" feature. This picture takes the concept a step further and has the appearance of an independent documentary examining the titular event, including "raw video" filmed by four friends who disappeared during the occurrence. The narrative, such as it is, is considerably more loose and scattered as a result than in other films of this niche genre. It's an intriguing approach, though also a tad more difficult to engage with.
It's worth mentioning the advance viral marketing scheme employed by writer-director Keith Arem, also no stranger to voice work given the number of videogames he's been involved with. The extent of Arem's endeavor is noteworthy - not just to promote 'The Phoenix Incident,' but to make it seem more real and plausible. So how is it? Was the effort worthwhile?
With content partly split between documentary interviews and the crucial "found footage," characterizations seem sparsely written - everyone only has so much time on screen, after all. The primary cast of O'Brien, Willingham, Lowenthal, and Baker are given characters with root personalities that are subsumed by heightened fear and panic as the action kicks up and the friends' video takes center stage. While I can't speak for other individuals appearing on camera, I know these four are all very capable actors, and they do what they can with what roles they are given. Everyone involved is fine. I feel like that's just the nature of features like this.
Special effects seem reasonably good, with explosions, UFOs, and blood feeling as real as they could be. Of what we see of the aliens, they too appear seamless, and a believable part of the world. I appreciate that Arem concocted a creature design that seems based on non-human animals on Earth, taken to another level. Sound is solid, and lighting, too. While composer John Paesano makes unfortunate use of the ubiquitous "BWAHM!" sound cue popularized by 'Inception,' his score is otherwise quite satisfactory, mostly unobtrusive and lending a marginally sorrowful, desperate atmosphere to the picture.
The plot of the film is slight, padded out by the the style in which it's told. Yet I think 'The Phoenix Incident' is written fairly well. It's not as cohesive as more focused found footage films I've seen, but also more clever and calculated than many that play in a similar space. I've seen better; I've also seen worse.
I hardly think this is a movie that's essential viewing, unless perhaps you're a great fan of the cast. But for a niche genre renowned for subpar schlock, flimsy film-making, and plenty of otherwise dubious pictures, this is one that's a bit more inventive in its construction. It's sufficiently engaging - entertaining - and ultimately enjoyable enough that it bests the expectations I had. It's not perfect or the end-all-be-all of sci-fi movies, but 'The Phoenix Incident' is a worthwhile view if you come across it.
We stumble onto movies in different ways. Advertisements and recommendations by friends or family are most common, but often we'll look to movies based on the film-makers or actors involved. For me, it was the delight of seeing voice actors Liam O'Brien, Travis Willingham, Yuri Lowenthal, and Troy Baker in a live action film. Concern as to content or quality is secondary.
'The Phoenix Incident' is a sci-fi thriller about extraterrestrial contact, taking the form of a "found footage" feature. This picture takes the concept a step further and has the appearance of an independent documentary examining the titular event, including "raw video" filmed by four friends who disappeared during the occurrence. The narrative, such as it is, is considerably more loose and scattered as a result than in other films of this niche genre. It's an intriguing approach, though also a tad more difficult to engage with.
It's worth mentioning the advance viral marketing scheme employed by writer-director Keith Arem, also no stranger to voice work given the number of videogames he's been involved with. The extent of Arem's endeavor is noteworthy - not just to promote 'The Phoenix Incident,' but to make it seem more real and plausible. So how is it? Was the effort worthwhile?
With content partly split between documentary interviews and the crucial "found footage," characterizations seem sparsely written - everyone only has so much time on screen, after all. The primary cast of O'Brien, Willingham, Lowenthal, and Baker are given characters with root personalities that are subsumed by heightened fear and panic as the action kicks up and the friends' video takes center stage. While I can't speak for other individuals appearing on camera, I know these four are all very capable actors, and they do what they can with what roles they are given. Everyone involved is fine. I feel like that's just the nature of features like this.
Special effects seem reasonably good, with explosions, UFOs, and blood feeling as real as they could be. Of what we see of the aliens, they too appear seamless, and a believable part of the world. I appreciate that Arem concocted a creature design that seems based on non-human animals on Earth, taken to another level. Sound is solid, and lighting, too. While composer John Paesano makes unfortunate use of the ubiquitous "BWAHM!" sound cue popularized by 'Inception,' his score is otherwise quite satisfactory, mostly unobtrusive and lending a marginally sorrowful, desperate atmosphere to the picture.
The plot of the film is slight, padded out by the the style in which it's told. Yet I think 'The Phoenix Incident' is written fairly well. It's not as cohesive as more focused found footage films I've seen, but also more clever and calculated than many that play in a similar space. I've seen better; I've also seen worse.
I hardly think this is a movie that's essential viewing, unless perhaps you're a great fan of the cast. But for a niche genre renowned for subpar schlock, flimsy film-making, and plenty of otherwise dubious pictures, this is one that's a bit more inventive in its construction. It's sufficiently engaging - entertaining - and ultimately enjoyable enough that it bests the expectations I had. It's not perfect or the end-all-be-all of sci-fi movies, but 'The Phoenix Incident' is a worthwhile view if you come across it.