Area Q. (2011) User Reviews

A Sci-Fi story, not a Sci-Fi epic.

[individual-297-994063 · 5/10 · 7 September 2012]

I really enjoyed this film. OK the production was a little low budget and the supporting cast could have been a little more polished, however the main stars more than made up for this with solid performances. When I say this is "A Sci-Fi story, not a Sci-Fi epic", I mean that this movie doesn't have or need a million dollar effects budget as this is a simple story about our planet, hope and better tomorrows. The effects were well done, and did not distract me from the main narrative as badly done effects can do. The movie is for those whom don't mind their Sci-Fi with a little subtle "X-Files" orientation for sure. In the beginning our hero is the non believer digging around in search of his missing child. Then as strange things ensue as he reaches what he sees as the unbelievable, undeniable truth (the truth is out there). The mystery unfolds and this happy tale develops into the ending you hoped for.

This is a Saturday afternoon TV Sci-Fi movie for everyone, whether you be hardened, old skool, Sci-Fi lover or you're just the girlfriend/boyfriend, watching along for the ride as there is nothing else on. I enjoyed the 90 mins and so did my girlfriend.

5.6/10 from me

Great story - bad directed and produced

[kevintempel · 5/10 · 25 August 2012]

great story, destroyed by awful production and directing.

The actors are doing a good job, at least some of them. But the director and producer seem to have been making a stupid and annoying soap opera. What is it with that annoying dramatic music throughout the entire film, it is disturbing the whole story, and it is not dramatic, it feels like I am watching a very very bad episode of a soap.

Misplaced music, bad sounding. Most sounds like phone ringing and stuff is like added after they filmed it, and so bad that you actually can hear it is in a studio. not very good produced I must say.

If this story was made in a Hollywood production it would absolutely have been better, the whole concept is great, but with such crappy filmmakers it must have been doomed from the start. This story need some great sci-fi filmmakers, then it would be a box office most likely.

Sorry guys put this is NOT worth watching at all.

Dissappointing Lack of Subtitles

[tduardmq · 1/10 · 2 April 2018]

I could not thoroughly enjoy this movie because of the Portuguese dialog - And No Subtitles! Toward the end of the movie - where the dialog was very important - It was entirely One-Sided. If you are someone that is fluent in Portuguese, well Good For You!

I'm not and I missed out on the ending of the movie. It wasted my time.

This would have been a good movie otherwise.

No captions!

[elaineblaettler · 24 February 2020]

Not a bad movie, but not providing captions for Portuguese language was really stupid!

Pure madness

[DrTeeth007 · 1/10 · 4 September 2012]

I love science fiction, and as such can watch some otherwise bad films. This film has a reasonable story that could in general, have been made better.

It shoots itself in the foot by having a LONG dialogue close to the end that looks like it explains all, the trouble is that it is 95% Portuguese and 5% English and does not have subtitles for English speakers. I therefore missed the point of the whole plot and am staggered at the stupidity of this in an English language film.

Because of this I would not advise watching this film on TV or at a friend's house for free - you will kick yourself for the pointless waste of an hour or two of your life.

Standard alien abduction.

[webhead-97553 · 1/10 · 4 September 2023]

Standard alian abduction. Saw it on Tubi which gave me the option to turn on captions, But then the captions only said "(speaking in Portuguese)". The english was captioned in english.

Well, thanks for nothing.

For the first 2/3 of the movie Mr. Mathews was traveling with a translator, so that sufficed. But at 1 hr, 11 minutes, Mathews had a one on one conversation with Joao Batista.

Batista speaking Portuguese, Mathews seems to understand him. But we English speakers only get one side of the conversation, and none of the answers.

Showed parts of Brazil I've not seen before, not the typical Amazon or Rio. Reminded me of 'Monument Vally'.

The hotel on the rock was interesting.

I would give it a 5. I've seen worse. But I don't feel that I even saw this. So just 1.

Really sorry but I could not concentrate far too slow

[lopezpatricia-06139 · 1/10 · 5 March 2020]

Had to abandon as it's too slow. Not to say someone else with a better attention span might enjoy better. But sci fi films for me have to be fast paced stunning cgi and such like.

Good story in a beautiful city

[iradao · 6/10 · 28 November 2012]

I am not a sci-fi addicted, nor an UFO believer, though this story interested me a lot. The plot is about a famous reporter whose son has disappeared in Los Angeles.

He must return to work and his boss sends him to Brazil, specifically, Quixadá, a town in the state of Ceará, in the northeast region. The city is small, but has some beautiful spots, as the rocks and the very nice dam (it is a semi-arid land).

The plot starts and has some good turning points but has some holes, which I will not detail to avoid spoiling.

The acting of Isaiah is good and Murilo Rosa is well in the role of Joao Batista, but they used the same actor to play the father and the son, what I think is a terrible choice. We don't believe the character of his son, because is played by the same Murilo Rosa. In this role he is not convincing.

The special effects are very good and they don't appear until the middle of the movie, which I think an excellent choice.

The soundtrack is sometimes over the needed, but I didn't think it was all too bad. What I really disliked was the edition/montage. Some important takes were given just few seconds while others banal where given much more emphasis.

Other bad choice is the constant voice over, by the main character, which is most of the time too explanatory and could be avoided. It was needed, if so, only in rare occasions.

I liked id because it is different than the usual Brazilian latest movies, only about favela or shallow comedies. And it shows a nice piece of land that, as long as I remember, has never been portrayed before.

Great movie!

[Austin4577 · 8/10 · 28 August 2012]

Came across this movie by pure luck, friend of mine came back from Brasil and he brought me a bunch of Brazilian movies with him.

Some of the actors you can tell that it's their first time. Yes there are songs all through the movie but that kept me even more curious about the movie, so unlike the other review i think the music was a nice add.

Story was very awesome. The movie was so good that when i saw there was only 15 minutes i thought to myself that the end was going to be ones that are so bad that ruins the whole movie BUT that did not happen! Very glad i got a chance to see this movie. I WISH they make a sequel to this as it made me very curious to see what happens next. But I know that with all the low rating and stuff they will leave the movie be and let us wonder for the rest of eternity what happens next.

"Whatever happened to her, it done her good"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 6/10 · 26 January 2023]

The movie is too long and the ending is rather puzzling but it does keep one's attention for most of the film. This is mainly due to Isaiah Washington as ace reporter Thomas Mathews who goes to the titular Area Q to investigate reports of UFOs and aliens and discover links to the disappearance of his son. He gives a credible performance as he goes from scepticism to acceptance. The rest of the cast are fine and the special effects though sparingly used are decent enough. The filming locations, well captured by the cinematography, are excellent and teem with a strange atmosphere.

The aliens tell the main lead that what they are doing for the benefit of mankind is benevolent and the film ends with a messiah-like birth but I'm not sure. They could be taking over by stealth, basically creating a race of superbeings to lord it over mankind. Am not denying what great things "Gandhi, Chico Xavier, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King" did but none of them were perfect as they would readily admit themselves. I prefer fallible humans to artificial ubermensch. But then that's just me.

Reply to Full Madness: Here's the translation of the speech that starts at 1:13:32

[gnewell-2 · 8/10 · 6 July 2017]

Entries with (*) asterisks around them are notes to set the scene.

* A few seconds before the speech, William sees Joao and rushes towards him. He is knocked back by a force field, and is transported to the beach scene. After the beach scene, he is transported back to Joao, who brings him inside the force field. That is when Joao's speech begins. *

Joao: You came here seeking answers. I'm giving you those answers.

William: Was that a dream?

Joao: It was a vision of a possible future.

William: Why were they scared?

Joao: Because people will become so cruel, they will hunt children ... as if they were stray dogs.

William: Why?

Joao: No water ... or food. The devastation caused by mankind will substantially reduce the population. There will be complete disorder. Children will be enslaved to maintain productivity. It will be survival of the fittest.

William: No, no, I don't think it will ever get to that point; humans won't ... won't become that desperate and insensitive.

Joao: You are already too insensitive. Thousands of children die every day, from hunger or lack of shelter. Mankind is heading towards a global collapse, and we have to intervene.

William: And why my son?

Joao: Your son is one among many. This city is one of many.

William: You're invading ... it's an invasion, that's what it is. You're taking people and you're studying them to make sure our species are compatible ... you're using my Peter as a guinea pig.

Joao: Peter has rejuvenated in recent years. He is ready; waiting for his time to return.

William: What the hell does that mean?

Joao: People who were preselected are being prepared. They are receiving information and important knowledge. The process would be faster ... if so many pregnancies were not interrupted.

William: So what's their mission?

Joao: Reversing the direction in which mankind is heading.

William: And how are these people supposed to do that?

Joao: They will lead the world, with a new vision ... new ideas, and even new technologies ... that will change how your societies and its leaders interact with each other. This means that the world will have a large number of people ... with an extraordinary intellectual capacity ... spreading and practicing kindness ... charity and honesty. But they will be the world's last hope. Imagine a world with thousands of people like Gandhi, Chico Xavier, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King. To change the world does not take much ... only willpower.

William: Well, if you don't believe in this, then why are you trying to help us?

Joao: This planet's natural resources are vital to maintain the harmony of the universe.

* William hears a noise behind him, and turns to see a vision of his son at the park, on the day he was abducted. *

William: What is this?

* William sees his son on the swing and sees him being "abducted" by a bright light *

William: Oh! This is cruel. Why would you do this to me?

Joao: You are here for a reason. Coincidences do not exist. They will return to lead the people, and change their future for the better. Someone must be there ... to help them reach their potential. Peter will need your guidance when he returns.

William: Where?

Joao: 8 degrees, 29 minutes, 4 seconds North ... 13 degrees, 14 minutes, 3.8 seconds West.

William: Coordinates.

Joao: Memorize them.

William: 8 degrees, 29 minutes, 4 seconds North ... 13 degrees, 14 minutes, 3.8 seconds West.

Joao: Be there in 2011.

William: 2011.

Joao: It's when you start your mission.

William: Ah ... that's too long to wait.

Joao: Time is only a matter of perception.

* Joao then touches William on the chest, imparting the "birthmark". Joao then disappears in a flash of light. *

CREDITS:

Original Translation and subtitles: pepe2982

English Translation: nastero using Google Translate and Gedit.

English translation updated and edited, including removal of subtitles for English text: gnewell-2 using NotePad 01/01/2014

** Email me at gen81465-yahoo.com (replacing the - with @), and I can get you the (.srt) file, which is the complete subtitle text. I corrected and updated it back in 2014, for more accurate English translation. Note that I included William's responses, even though they are already in English. I did this for the continuity of following along with the movie. If you use a video player like VLC, you can choose the option: Video - Subtitles Track - Open file... and point it to the (.srt) file, and watch the entire movie with subtitles. Enjoy! **

Worth watching

[jrhageman · 9/10 · 9 September 2012]

I completely disagree with the bad reviews!

First of all, the storyline is a GREAT concept.

Secondly, the acting is well done for a low budget film, even though not all the actors are professional, it does add to the film a sort of documentary prospective.

Last but not least, is that the directing and videotography for a single camera low budget film are beyond compare.

This film should be a must see for all who are preparing to make a leap into movie-making on a budget, the video editing is well done as is the sound editing, but nothing beats having a keen eye for filming, reminds me of the work of cinematographer Bert Glennon !

Sensitvely done, intelligent storyline

[annalisa41 · 8/10 · 27 September 2019]

I really enjoyed this film. It was an unexpected delight. My main issue was the background music! It made it feel very dated and was overly dramatic and almost turned it into a comedy. But I loved the story, which saved it! The setting was perfect. Beautiful location. Sensitive to the subject and the special effects were pretty good! Isaiah Washington was well cast..Good job, well done!

Superb Non-Hollywood Filmmaking

[Enrique-Sanchez-56 · 9/10 · 25 December 2012]

It's hard to say why I liked this story so much. The Isaiah Washington's understated but natural performance really stood out for me. Perhaps some elements in editing this story fall short of the Hollywood quick-fix treatment, but they made this the kind of movie that draws you in without throwing everything at you point-blank so you won't miss it.

I am very gratified that the ending was not slick, however, the music cues, I think, were a little cheesy and rather made this too sensational for such a poignant ending. I know the music tried to make the point of that being a climactic ending, somehow, it is probably the only thing that missed the mark for me in this beautiful effort.

I congratulate everyone involved in putting this story out, especially with so much crap being spewed out by filmmakers these days.

I recommend this to any fan of science fiction who appreciates the out of the ordinary development of a story, and an abduction story that might have been produced by Hollywood types that like to give us slick and vapid movies in the guise of entertainment-in-a-bottle.