Stylish Sci-Fi, if a little baffling

Time travel movies and the confusion that comes with them. Name a more iconic duo. Low budget Sci-Fi thriller Curvature, directed by Diego Hallivis, doesn’t escape this age old trap.

The thing is, it’s a movie that does enough right for me to somewhat turn a blind eye and let the power of my own interpretation take the driving seat by the end of this 90 minute flick.

Helen, played by Lyndsy Fonseca, (you know, Kick-Ass’ girlfriend,) was one half of a science power couple before her husband Wells (Noah Bean) died suddenly. He was on the verge of creating a time machine.

Well, the game is afoot when Helen later receives a bizarre phone call from someone sounding remarkably like herself telling her to run when a suspicious black BMW pulls up on the driveway. Could she have hopped into the time machine and sent herself back in time? And if so, then why?

First off, this movie is shot in a very entertaining manner. It’s simply stylish cinematography from Noah Rosenthal and it serves to build great tension in several scenes. When the mystery man steps out of the BMW, the suspense builds. Just like Helen, we can’t see his face. Only his legs are in view as he probes the familiar surroundings of the house, already plotted with some establishing shots to open the movie.

A car chase sequence in the middle of the film is superbly well crafted too. It’s short – these aren’t stunt drivers so that certainly checks out – but the ending is decidedly crunchy thanks to some immersive camera work.

That’s a case in point of where the scene in general may not have made a whole lot of narrative sense, but it was shot so well that I was (almost) willing to overlook a glaringly obvious oversight that I’m sure you’d instantly pick out as decidedly dumb.

I guess if we are talking about the plot, I have to address the ending. *Sigh*

Look, I love the premise of this film. It’s the kind of time travel premise that if I was ever to write a fiction novel I would love to explore. However, time travel is a mine field and takes some serious plot hole navigating. This film just isn’t strong enough in it’s execution of the science or in defining Helen’s plan.

I mean, I’ve been thinking about the ending of the film ever since I started writing this review. The movie finished about an hour ago. Maybe I need more time to process it. Maybe Helen’s plan will suddenly reveal itself to me in a moment of inspiration. All I know is, the ending of this one – be it deliberate or otherwise – is wildly open to interpretation.

Again, the way the final climactic scenes were shot meant that I almost want to give the movie a free pass. It was great to look at and earns this film a hint of re-watch-ability on that basis alone.

Oh, one other thing; Linda Hamilton is in this movie. The Sky Cinema synopsis made sure you knew about it. “Curvature, starring Lindsy Fonseca and Linda Hamilton.” Well, a warning for Sarah Connor fans – Hamilton is hardly in this movie at all. A total of two scenes, around five or six lines of dialogue. The University professor is a background character.

Anyway, Curvature’s cinematography is great. I will keep an eye out for Noah Rosenthal’s future projects. It’s a good looking little Sci-Fi flick. Sure, you’ll find problems with the plot and if you hit play on this one spoiling for a fight, you’ll find it. But if you keep an open mind, there is plenty here to enjoy and it is, at the very least, a thought provoking film.