If there is a movie that is not convincing, this is one of them. I am a little surprised at Ricci being in this, and not surprised that Cusack is. What ever happened to Cusack, are these the only parts on offer to him these days?
The movie starts off OK, then folds beneath your eyes. In fact, I was laughing from when Cusack entered the scene. I am blaming the director and editing on this. He is just terrible. The scenes with him are trying to empasise intrigue and mystery and ended up a shambles.
Really, I can't say much more, becasue in reality, the movie dosen't deserve it.
I'm giving 5 stars for Ricci's sake.
84 Reviews
Disappointing
Foutainoflife31 July 2018
This is supposed to be a movie that is full of suspense and mind control but it just doesn't make the mark. Christina Ricci comes off very cold. I think that she plays most of her roles in that way but in this she is also trying to portray mentally unstable and super paranoid and I just wasn't feeling her at all. Which is unfortunate because I have enjoyed her in so many things. I was expecting John Cusack to have a larger role and he ended up with maybe 5-10 minutes of screen time. He's been a bit iffy for me since I watched Cell. I only felt moments of intensity during the flashing scenes. I'm just a bit disappointed.
Psych 101
rowens-3862229 June 2018
Looked Promising Failed to Deliver
hevverreeg-331-39249327 October 2018
The description looked intriguing but it didn't live up to the expectation. I was mostly bored and the story wasn't interesting. It started slow and didn't explain things like why everyone scratched their neck or the significance of "Beautiful Dreamer" playing a lot.
Seizure warning
lonniew30 June 2018
I don't have seizure issues but if you're sensitive to flashing bright lights then you might be in for a nasty surprise..
Having said that, i really didn't enjoy this that much, it was a time killer, but at the end of the day I'd rather have my money back. Nothing special about it, the scoring was decent but the movie itself wasn't that entertaining.
If you're bored and nothing else is available, go ride a bike instead :) I only give it two stars because Christina Ricci is in it.
Having said that, i really didn't enjoy this that much, it was a time killer, but at the end of the day I'd rather have my money back. Nothing special about it, the scoring was decent but the movie itself wasn't that entertaining.
If you're bored and nothing else is available, go ride a bike instead :) I only give it two stars because Christina Ricci is in it.
Completely unwatchable
iamlegionwermany29 June 2018
This had to be a tax write off.
aarpcats27 December 2020
Awful
charlottefoy-0757813 July 2018
Not a boring movie, worth watching.
ndroock1-652-13555422 September 2018
I like Brendan Fletcher since Rampage (I), so I tend to watch Brendan Fletcher movies. I had never heard of Ricci but it turned out this was basically a Ricci film. All the other actors, sadly also Fletcher and Cusack were just extras.
I gave it 7 stars because I didn't get bored while watching which is quite an achievement. The last episodes in the Jurassic and M.I. series for example made me fall asleep within the first 10 minutes.
The story is really good and convincing it is just that this movie could have been so much better. The story deserved a 10-episode Netflix series.
What in the name of
sweet-alibis10 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Whoever decided to put Christina Ricci in a blonde wig needs to be immediately cast out of any major decision making during the making of any movie from this day forth. This movie was the mother of all tin foil hat conspiracy theorist nightmares, besides giving me a terrible migraine from the random fast flashing light scenes that Ricci's character kept facing, it also had John Cusack running around looking like he just robbed a 7-eleven and was on the run from agent Smith.
B movie
Gordon-1120 July 2018
This film tells the story of a woman who is paranoid of her new home.
The film starts off mysterious and suspenseful, but as time goes on it becomes more unbelievable. The ending even becomes ridiculous and far fetched. The constant quick flashes of unnerving scenes got to me as well, and I often had to close my eyes for fear of taking in to much negativity. It is a sub-par B movie, and I feel sorry that Christina Ricci is in it.
The film starts off mysterious and suspenseful, but as time goes on it becomes more unbelievable. The ending even becomes ridiculous and far fetched. The constant quick flashes of unnerving scenes got to me as well, and I often had to close my eyes for fear of taking in to much negativity. It is a sub-par B movie, and I feel sorry that Christina Ricci is in it.
I don't know what people expect. This is a good movie.
rbuchanan-506226 July 2018
I don't know what's wrong with y'all. This is a good movie. I kept kept waiting for the point I was disappointed. It didn't come. Ricci is great. Cussack is great. Plot great. Goosebumps throughout. It's not a multimillion dollar blockbuster, but do movies have to be? Come on! Maybe movie fanatics find fault. But I think I'm an average Joe and I thought it was great. Watch this movie. Thanks for making it. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
The end result was distorted.
Top_Dawg_Critic27 June 2018
The directing was the most redeeming part of this film. The concept was interesting but failed to deliver within the screenplay, particularly with it's slow pace, dragged out scenes, and convoluted plot issues. The constant depressing score created more aggravation than suspense. The characters were very bland, stale and robotic. John Cusack's character was overly sketchy and detracted form the overall film. His character would have been better cast with another actor. Had the producers chosen to tweak/edit the final cut, it could have shown better and perhaps held the viewers attention. I feel this film had potential, but the end result was distorted. It's a 6/10 from me.
Bad, just really bad
bwdude3 August 2018
I can remember a time, when the ratings on IMDB were an indicator for the quality of a movie. Those days seem to be gone.
Nowadays, I have to read through all reviews and check the distribution of ratings to get an idea, because the rating alone seems to be fake most of the time. Sadly I was blinded by this one, maybe because I really like John Cusack.
Unfortunately, Mr. Cusack seems to have devoted himself to the absolute worst possible roles in the absolute worst possible movies lately. I can't remember the last time I liked a movie with him in it.
This one is a new low, I don't know where to begin. The non-story, the amateurish production, the laughable CGI, the missing direction, the incredibly bad acting all around, the wig?? Really, pick any one of those and it will be enough to skip this pile of garbage.
Dear Mr. Cusack, remember Martian Child, Grace is Gone, High Fidelity or even Identity? What happened?
Nowadays, I have to read through all reviews and check the distribution of ratings to get an idea, because the rating alone seems to be fake most of the time. Sadly I was blinded by this one, maybe because I really like John Cusack.
Unfortunately, Mr. Cusack seems to have devoted himself to the absolute worst possible roles in the absolute worst possible movies lately. I can't remember the last time I liked a movie with him in it.
This one is a new low, I don't know where to begin. The non-story, the amateurish production, the laughable CGI, the missing direction, the incredibly bad acting all around, the wig?? Really, pick any one of those and it will be enough to skip this pile of garbage.
Dear Mr. Cusack, remember Martian Child, Grace is Gone, High Fidelity or even Identity? What happened?
The rating is really Distorted !
MplusA9228 June 2018
To watch or not to watch ?! That is the question you probably think about right now, so let me guide you through this review :
First of all it's less than 90 minutes movie, so you may think they will pass fast regardless the quality of the movie, nevertheless i played it in 1.5x speed to be able to finish it and it wasn't a good experience at all.
I think psychological movies are the trend now so everyone tries to make them but this try is unsuccessful. And this is not an excuse to show a couple living in the best looking apartment in the world moving to the second best looking apartment just to overcome their psychological problems.
The story is quite acceptable but it wasn't written nor platted well, the music is really annoying so you may like it if you depend on music to merge with the atmosphere of the movie, and the acting is the weakest point.
Apparently they were low on budget, and we can see that clearly from the low class actors, the weak level of photography, the black and white poster which looks ancient, and the most fake baby bump you will ever see.
Finally, it's less than average movie with an idea that was delivered in a very bad way, it will give you something to wonder about throughout the movie but you will not be excited about it specially with the lack of real suspense though the Mystery/Thriller genre.
First of all it's less than 90 minutes movie, so you may think they will pass fast regardless the quality of the movie, nevertheless i played it in 1.5x speed to be able to finish it and it wasn't a good experience at all.
I think psychological movies are the trend now so everyone tries to make them but this try is unsuccessful. And this is not an excuse to show a couple living in the best looking apartment in the world moving to the second best looking apartment just to overcome their psychological problems.
The story is quite acceptable but it wasn't written nor platted well, the music is really annoying so you may like it if you depend on music to merge with the atmosphere of the movie, and the acting is the weakest point.
Apparently they were low on budget, and we can see that clearly from the low class actors, the weak level of photography, the black and white poster which looks ancient, and the most fake baby bump you will ever see.
Finally, it's less than average movie with an idea that was delivered in a very bad way, it will give you something to wonder about throughout the movie but you will not be excited about it specially with the lack of real suspense though the Mystery/Thriller genre.
Horrendous. Ratings clearly manipulated
imdb2-55 July 2018
Without exaggeration, this is a horrendous film. It's as if a 3rd grader had an idea that was about some science experiment with a mumbo jumbo describption about impacting minds. All you need is some really cool flashing images of horrible things, lights and weird stuff to add to the mood as if they would have any impact on the purpose of the experiment. Then draw it out for 90+ minutes. The ending... laughable and painful in its awkward amateurism. It's just par for the course.
Seeing Christina Ricci's name was a surprise. John Cusack has been associated with D films over the past several years and this is no exception. I have no idea who has been helping him select his projects but this is yet another to add to the "what were they thinking" pile.
PS - I don't think they did too much research on the true nature of psychological problems. It would have helped a great deal if they had.
Seeing Christina Ricci's name was a surprise. John Cusack has been associated with D films over the past several years and this is no exception. I have no idea who has been helping him select his projects but this is yet another to add to the "what were they thinking" pile.
PS - I don't think they did too much research on the true nature of psychological problems. It would have helped a great deal if they had.
Gawd!!
westsideschl23 November 2018
Who cares about dialogue! Not that it mattered in this film since it was so inanely stupid. Fortunately, there were no subtitles; poor audio level control; poor enunciation by actors(?).
Other signs of bad: Scenes of people in car driving on road - cheap filler; background music/sound effects annoyingly blatant & used as crutch for boring nothing going on scenes; scenes of apartment building in which clouds in background do not move.
Script: Nothing creative in this redux of mind control through subliminal tele messages, and droning sound. (Here are some of the subliminal's - failure, transgressor, flawed, worthless, weak, broken, obey, eliminate, assassinate, kill, all interspersed w/death images). Stupid predictable ending.
high tech glitches
ferguson-621 June 2018
Greetings again from the darkness. Being startled awake by a nightmare is disconcerting for all of us. When that dream is strobe-like with flashes to a personal tragedy, the horrifying images carryover into daily life, impacting one's mental stability. Such is the new-norm for Lauren (played by Christina Ricci) as she attempts to recover from a disaster of which we are only provided glimpses and hints until later in the film (although it's pretty obvious). Lauren admits to being scared to rejoin the world - she hasn't even been able to resume putting her art on canvas.
Director Rob W King (HUNGRY HILLS, 2009) teams with writer Arne Olsen (whose work in the 1990's included COP AND A ½, RED SCORPION, MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: THE MOVIE) in an attempt to deliver a high-tech psychological thriller ... a sub-genre that has yet to be successfully conquered, cinematically speaking. Lauren and her husband, played by Brendan Fletcher, decide the best move for her sanity and their marriage is to move from the city to the suburbs. They choose The Pinnacle, a luxury condo with ultra high-tech and modern amenities so extreme it's known as "the smart building".
Typically having a building be the villain doesn't work out so well from a story-telling perspective, so of course, paranoia and conspiracy theories are dwelled upon. An obvious choice of the "Beautiful Dreamer" song is repeatedly slipped into scenes to cause Lauren further queasiness. As she becomes increasingly suspicious, and convinced evil is afoot, she crosses paths with a mysterious dark web figure played by John Cusack - a character so predictable that he whispers in conversations, wears a black hoodie, and works in a secret computer lair. As others try to convince Lauren her medications for depression are either too much or too little, Cusack feeds her the age old line ... you aren't paranoid if they are watching you.
Christina Ricci has been acting since she was 10 years old, and here she performs admirably in a film that, bottom line, doesn't deliver. The movie has the vibe of a cheesy TV show, kind of a rip-off of "Westworld" or "I, Robot", though it does tease us with the possibilities of electronic hypnosis and manipulation through subliminal images. Our ever-increasingly digital world, and the dangers that come with such power, are a real world problem that, for whatever reason, just hasn't transferred well to the big screen yet.
Director Rob W King (HUNGRY HILLS, 2009) teams with writer Arne Olsen (whose work in the 1990's included COP AND A ½, RED SCORPION, MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: THE MOVIE) in an attempt to deliver a high-tech psychological thriller ... a sub-genre that has yet to be successfully conquered, cinematically speaking. Lauren and her husband, played by Brendan Fletcher, decide the best move for her sanity and their marriage is to move from the city to the suburbs. They choose The Pinnacle, a luxury condo with ultra high-tech and modern amenities so extreme it's known as "the smart building".
Typically having a building be the villain doesn't work out so well from a story-telling perspective, so of course, paranoia and conspiracy theories are dwelled upon. An obvious choice of the "Beautiful Dreamer" song is repeatedly slipped into scenes to cause Lauren further queasiness. As she becomes increasingly suspicious, and convinced evil is afoot, she crosses paths with a mysterious dark web figure played by John Cusack - a character so predictable that he whispers in conversations, wears a black hoodie, and works in a secret computer lair. As others try to convince Lauren her medications for depression are either too much or too little, Cusack feeds her the age old line ... you aren't paranoid if they are watching you.
Christina Ricci has been acting since she was 10 years old, and here she performs admirably in a film that, bottom line, doesn't deliver. The movie has the vibe of a cheesy TV show, kind of a rip-off of "Westworld" or "I, Robot", though it does tease us with the possibilities of electronic hypnosis and manipulation through subliminal images. Our ever-increasingly digital world, and the dangers that come with such power, are a real world problem that, for whatever reason, just hasn't transferred well to the big screen yet.
Lamentably bad
Leofwine_draca20 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
DISTORTED is a lamentably bad thriller that goes for the psychological approach but turns out to be a complete waste of time for viewers. A tired-looking Christina Ricci plays a wife who moves into a high tech building only to become convinced that she's being stalked and spied on by strangers. It's embarrassingly low budget throughout, and the worst thing is that the supposed scare sequences rely on flashing images seemingly designed to induce an epileptic fit in the viewer. I had my suspicions when I saw Brendan Fletcher's name in the cast - he's forever soured by his association with Uwe Boll - and as for John Cusack, he appears in little more than an extended cameo. Bad stuff indeed, even by B-flick standards.
Fail
brianl11070830 June 2018
It's not oscar worthy, but it's not terrible
malhaas-jacobsz9 July 2018
Okay, so let's face the facts. This won't win best picture, but it is fun to watch. The acting is not terrible, the story is intriguing, and it's good to watch when there is nothing good on TV. So if you're a fan of a good story with a bit of a twist, give it a try.
It's a terrible shame
jerote-559493 July 2018
Really sad to see Christina Ricci and John Cusack in such a terrible movie. Acting is too awkward. CGI (if it can be called that) is the lousiest I have ever seen. Editing was terrible. Continuity was pauper. Not really sure how this even got to be 6.8. I'm giving it 2/10 because I like Christina an John. The rest is a NO-NO
Wow, the 1-star reviewers did not watch the same film I saw
OneAnjel26 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The premise is state of the art and something the world should really be more suspicious of -- people trying to find ways to control consumers through their every day environment. In fact, judging by the reviews here, I think very few people even caught on to what the film was about. Probably because Ricci plays a common housewife with no special skills that we can see. And in sort of Alfred Hitchcock fashion, none of the players are particularly interesting or unusually suspicious.
I would love to see this type of premise done a bit more dramatically to really be in your face. Because right now it's just online social media which people don't really grasp the marketing manipulation behind yet.
From my perspective, the title is a puzzle itself: is Ricci's character's mind distorted; or is someone distorting her reality to manipulate her mind?
But the distortion of the film is not what made Ricci unrecognizable! I felt very let down to keep staring at this face and feeling a vague sense of familiarity when finally a brief search confirmed it is Ricci plus your standard thinned out, pinched in nose job. I mean, if she was trying to look just like every other aging female in Hollywood then the nose job was a success.
So, as for the film -- I can only try to emphasize to all those reviewing the film as a bi-polar v. paranoia vehicle: Please watch the film and rewind that parts that don't make sense until they do. Or just take my word for it: this is NOT about a person's disorder, although it plays off a former patient's questionable perspective.
this film should have much higher ratings if people with some sort of education or business training were a larger part of the audience. Instead it falls on the deaf ears of the very consumers that manipulation machines like FaceHook & Yoogle (intentionally misspelled) are already puppet-fying.
From my perspective, the title is a puzzle itself: is Ricci's character's mind distorted; or is someone distorting her reality to manipulate her mind?
But the distortion of the film is not what made Ricci unrecognizable! I felt very let down to keep staring at this face and feeling a vague sense of familiarity when finally a brief search confirmed it is Ricci plus your standard thinned out, pinched in nose job. I mean, if she was trying to look just like every other aging female in Hollywood then the nose job was a success.
So, as for the film -- I can only try to emphasize to all those reviewing the film as a bi-polar v. paranoia vehicle: Please watch the film and rewind that parts that don't make sense until they do. Or just take my word for it: this is NOT about a person's disorder, although it plays off a former patient's questionable perspective.
this film should have much higher ratings if people with some sort of education or business training were a larger part of the audience. Instead it falls on the deaf ears of the very consumers that manipulation machines like FaceHook & Yoogle (intentionally misspelled) are already puppet-fying.
Not Bad
bernardoarquivo24 September 2018
It's amazing how people get lost in their criticism. The film is about the effect of subliminal messages and involuntary hypnosis on a person who has manic depression, brought on by the loss of a child.
Christina Ricci is cute and competent as always, in a role that doesn't require much, and John Cusack is John Cusack. That's enough. It's an unpretentious thriller with a low budget. People need to chill and just enjoy it.
Christina Ricci is cute and competent as always, in a role that doesn't require much, and John Cusack is John Cusack. That's enough. It's an unpretentious thriller with a low budget. People need to chill and just enjoy it.
Bad just bad.
stevedudesp15 June 2019
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