The Alternate (2021) User Reviews

Not bad

[battlecrusadersgames · 6/10 · 15 September 2022]

Here's a low budget Sci-Fi, that never manages to amaze but is also not terrible. The story is about a man that (in rather sketchy circumstances), creates a portal to an alternate reality, but once he sees how different it is, things get complicated and morals are tested. This is an engaging and thought provoking storyline, even though it never is pushed to it's full potential.

The acting is OK, if a little rusty in places, but i have to say, i really didn't like the female lead at all. It felt like she was trying too hard to differentiate between the 2 personalities of her characters.

The script was a little ropey too. That being said, the story develops well and with a sensible running time, it doesn't drag at all, unlike some similar movies.

I did enjoy this movie, but i must confess, i think that could be mostly because i like this type of film, because after all, when i think about it back, this didn't really add anything exciting to the genre. So if you are like me and like the idea of mysterious psuedo-science, then you'll probably like this too, if not, then you may feel like passing this one by.

The Alternate

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 13 September 2022]

Jake (Ed Gonzalez Moreno) is a videographer who has found all of his dreams coming true on the other side of a portal to another dimension. The perfect job, the wife of his dreams, a daughter that he never had in our world. Yet as they say, the grass is greener on the other side and Jake soon learns that perfection isn't all it's claimed to be.

Directed and written by Alrik Bursell, The Alternate answers a question I've always asked: is it cheating if you sleep with your wife from an alternate reality?

As the film progresses, we meet multiple versions of Jake and his wife Kris (Natalia Dominguez), who is overworked and wishes Jake would stop being so immature in our reality yet loving and supportive in her mirror universe version.

The truth of the movie lies in the question of whether you're truly happy with what you have and the steps you need to make to find it. Even in another world, you remain yourself and so often, our problems are caused by our own emotions and behavior.

While the budget is low and the effects not the best you've seen, this movie realizes that it can be different by having an intriguing story and pushes itself to be quite unique.

a copycat from the novel Dark Matter

[kebab-43449 · 5/10 · 11 November 2022]

Read the novel 3 weeks ago. The main theme and thread of this movie is exactly the same as "dark matter" by blake crouch but i dont see them giving any credit to the original book.

This movie is an oversimplification of the book. In the original (i'm 100% sure they were inspired by/stole the ideas from it) the protagonist went through a cascades of troubles to get back to his love. Traveled to dozens of multi-universes to finally get back to his world and got his version of girl back.

This knock off in comparison, leaves out all the intricacies and subtle emotions and psychological observations which made the real one successful.

Anyways, overall its not terrible, its watchable. Dialogues are very light, like they were written by elementary school students. So its a nice brainless relaxation, def worth it to watch it on a drunken miserable night alone at home.

Ruined by bad acting

[mhusse · 1/10 · 21 September 2022]

Jake the Husband of a constantly nagging wife (Chris) that puts him down whenever she gets the opportunity, he manages to discover a PORTAL to a alternate future. And his wifes reaction is just "so you discovered a portal okay" and isn't impressed and continues on with her nagging and remarks. After here unrealistic reaction to the discovery of the portal I lost all hope for this movie. The writer couldn't make the nagging wife break character for a second and have a realistic reaction to a portal in their own house. I gave it one star because of the extremely bad acting Natalia Dominguez. Summary of this whole movie is Husband - portal - nagging wife - portal - nagging wife. Yeah that's pretty much it.

Very interesting!

[edmeardon · 7/10 · 1 January 2023]

After reading some of the reviews, I still decided to try this movie, and I was glad I did! Although the "stars" were no-names, they did very well.

The actress that played Kris (the wife), was very irritating at first (by not even listening to what the guy wanted to tell her about the portal he had discovered/made). To be honest, the husband (Doug) was pretty inarticulate in his description of the portal, but that was to be expected, as he was a loser in life, with no job and no ambition.

I thought the fact that they left the reason the portal existed as a positive element in the movie, as too many movies get bogged down in the fantasy mechanics of it (wormholes, etc). He really didn't know how he made it, but he knew what it was because he had seen enough movies and TV shows about the subject.

I was relieved when he tried to tell a scientist about it, they brushed him off, as it DID sound goofy, as he had NO idea of the science behind it and was, like I said, pretty inarticulate in his description of it.

I had trouble watching the middle portion where he was sneaking around the house of his alternate, as he kept coming so close to getting caught.

It was interesting to see that there was an alternative universe where he was NOT a loser, and him and his wife (and child) were living quite nicely as he was successful in his craft.

It was an unexpected twist when he forced his alternate into the vortex so that he could live the good life, but his old nature kept surfacing (he didn't have a job in this universe either). It was really made plain when his (alternate's) little girl wanted to put catchup on her pancakes, and his wife didn't want to her (because of the sugar, etc). He kept saying "Why not?" He would have been a loser of a father also.

Once the movie got past the uncomfortable "almost getting caught in the alternate's house" thing, I think it got pretty interesting with the twist.

I won't tell you how it ends, but it's not well.

Fun Concept... Mediocre Performances

[kamille · 5/10 · 2 October 2023]

I selected this movie on Prime because of the subject matter - Parallel Universes - and for that reason it was a fairly enjoyable watch. From start to finish though, it was predictable. I expected Jake #1 to change places with Jake #2, so, no disappointment there. I also expected Jake #2 to attempt to take back his own life, and it was obvious that he planned to throw his imposter back thru the portal into his own miserable existence. And that's okay, because it's what I hoped would happen. Some reviewers expressed surprise, even calling it a "twist", but for me it went along exactly as expected. I feel that it could have been a much better production, starting with casting.

I wanted to step into the wormhole myself and slap that harpy of a wife. She had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The character was wholly one-sided and grated on my nerves. In addition, the actor who played her was not very believable, especially as it pertained to the portal scenes. Almost any reaction to such an amazing phenomenon would have been more realistic than her blasé response. She was about as awestruck as a kid opening up a math book. The male lead wasn't much better. He handled the mechanics okay, but performed without depth. Lead performers should have charisma and a wide range of emotions and expressions. Here, it was lacking. Ditto for Jake's friend, who exhibited zero warmth or personality.

I take it back about there not being a twist. I just remembered - there was one surprising event at the end that was just perfect. (Think "Philadelphia Experiment"). That was the best part of the movie!

All in all, it was a nice way to spend an hour and a half because there are such limited films with themes like alternate worlds, time travel, and the like. I just think that, even on a shoestring budget, they could have put more oomph, more wonder, more animated performances into this one.

Find another alternate

[siddharth-61578 · 4/10 · 15 September 2022]

Such a bad story even more bad acting and silly script. Not worth wasting time on this movie. The way people traveled through portal was such a silly idea. Need to be more creative on inter dimensional travelling medium. So many things could have been shown in parallel universe travelling but writer focused only on family issue which killed the story completely. Climax was a disaster too.

In this age of high fi sci-fi movie this movie holds no special significance. Would suggest to avoid it. Movies like Everything Everywhere All at Once is really appealing when it comes to parallel universe story. This movie does not stand any chance.

Somewhat expectedly disappointing.

[mpgnrqp · 3/10 · 7 January 2024]

Somewhat predictable and therefore expectedly disappointing. The premise of the movie has merit and potential but the storyline lacks substance and believability.

The characters are not well thought out. - The alternate versions of the characters are simply stereotypical extreme opposites of each other. - One set of characters from one world in a difficulty relationship on struggle street vs the other set of characters living the life of successful and well off people.

Spoiler alert, at the end of the movie, I really don't understand why the Alt Jake doesn't just throw the torso of the other Jake back through the portal Instead of putting it in a black bin bag as he has the USB drive to be able to do so.

Disappointing, but expectedly so.

Pretty good

[gilcatt · 8/10 · 4 December 2022]

Low budget ? Sure.

Engaging storyline ? Indeed.

Decent acting? Yep.

Additionally, the film boasts some truly impressive camerawork.

Being its first feature movie, director Alrik Bursell has crafted a streamlined sci-fi romp that never boxes above its weight while telling a relatable premise. At about 85 minutes to the credit run, The Alternate wastes little time either pondering or explaining the scientific "hows" of its story. It's all made up, it doesn't matter, and you won't care. Solid and convincing, it keeps the audience invested in the outcome of it all.

What else can you wish for ?

I dug it

[RBIves-202-725352 · 9/10 · 23 March 2023]

On the one hand, this is a cool scifi spin on how far someone might go to achieve the perfect life, even if it means stealing it from another version of themselves. On the other hand, it hits so close to home I hate it.

Some really fun, old school trickery to make it look like there are two of the same person interacting. The score really shines, I loved the techno surreal tone of it. There is a beard in this movie that should make all men peanut butter and jelly every time they look at their own in the mirror. Also there is a big ending... thing... that will certainly shock you.

Ok spoiler, my favorite part about this script is how the protagonist and the antagonist switch places halfway through and we're left to switch allegiances. Super clever. Great work.

Fun premise and great direction

[nathan-79888 · 9/10 · 20 April 2023]

This movie had a cool exploration of some interesting philosophical "what if" ideas through an original and intriguing sci-fi premise. Performances were just okay, but cinematography was solid: moody and dramatic. The music, sound design and editing were top notch. It felt a little bit like TV, but felt very pro for an independent movie. A bigger budget would fix that. Impressive first effort from the director. Excited to see what he does next!

If you like sci-fi or Twilight Zone-style explorations of of ontological questions (is it cheating if you're having sex with your wife in another dimension?), this is the one for you.

Awesome movie!

[eric-91610 · 10/10 · 6 October 2022]

This movie had a really cool eerie vibe but still felt realistic. The storyline was really engaging and accomplished the effect of making it feel like you're in the movie, like all good movies do. I thought they did a great job at making this alternate world seem real. There was suspended disbelief but done in a way that was believable enough to keep you in the story.

I thought the performances were really great too. The way this movie is structured I think the actors had no easy task but they did a great job.

Camera work was awesome, the writing was great, good acting, what's there to complain about?!

Impressive directorial debut

[courtneysposato · 9/10 · 14 September 2022]

Watched this last night with my husband, and we were both really impressed with this film. As filmmakers ourselves, it was so cool to see a character going through a really relatable struggle of trying to get their movie off the ground, and grappling with what they thought their filmmaking life would be and what the reality actually is.

We were engaged the entire time, especially with its fascinating concept that is surely going to inspire some conversation. The production value felt really high, and had solid performances all around. Great debut by a Alrik Bursell, looking forward to what he's got coming next.

Absolutely Fantastic!

[Thrillseeker2255 · 10/10 · 9 September 2023]

It drives me up the wall when I read reviews that claim a film has terrible acting and a poor script when, in actuality, the production was fantastic.

The Alternate is such a film. It is cleanly shot, and the acting is top-notch, and I was wholly invested in the movie the entire time.

I am a big fan of sci-fi films, especially independent flicks. This movie has everything going for it. The plot is strong, the pacing is perfect, and the conclusion is satisfying.

I am a novelist and filmmaker, and it bothers me when I see people grading a movie poorly simply because a major studio did not do it and the project doesn't feature big-name actors.

I loved the movie and would recommend it to anyone interested in watching a cool story.

Solid Sci-Fi Indie Flick

[kellan-23551 · 9/10 · 14 September 2022]

An interesting take on the alternative reality take and what one would do to get the life they really wanted.

Had a unique take on following a lead character and a shift in the story arch. I thought the actors did an amazing role portraying not only themselves, but also the alternate versions as well.

The SFX were on point to progress the storyline, which for a Sci-fi film is a tricky task.

The overall cinematography was really well done and it was also a big concept to be executed within an indie budget. Looking forward to seeing more future projects from Alrik and this cast!

Highly recommended!

Worth watching, low average rating is unjustified

[gnokial-59688 · 10/10 · 17 December 2023]

I didn't like it at first, it started miserable, the dim lit environment not helping, obviously a low budget film and the main actor had a jihardist beard that I found off-putting. However, the portal was kind of beautiful and hypnotic, so I carried on watching and then the plot began to engage. I'm glad I didn't give up. It does have something different to offer and an interesting ending as well. As someone who rarely bothered to write reviews, I hope anyone reading this appreciate my recommendation. Well I don't why this platform insists on having a minimum of 600 words to post a review, hence the dross.