Great idea for a movie but one hour plus of listening to a self pitying manic depressive is very hard to stick to. Very slow at times and hard to stick with it without losing interest, or without getting fed up with the constant whining and misery.
62 Reviews
Reminiscent of Black Mirror
Cookiejar5526 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I wish they had focused a lot more on the horrific devastated climate and dystopian world instead of the cloning technology, the realm ,the chips and so on. They offered no explanation as to what had happened to make Earth so barren and depressing. Of course his corporation still cared about profits in a barren world and it was an accurate interpretation of what a company would do even in a dystopian nightmare. I found his scene in the dark empty office a lot creepier than the clones and wish they had focused on building that atmosphere more.
His wife's character is utterly insufferable and you simply want to skip when she is on screen although I appreciate why she is meant to be that way. The ending is interesting. Not bad movie and the beginning is quite strong, with some good ideas.
Pretty but slow
Gordon-1127 September 2020
Don't, just don't.
andybinning9 June 2021
Dystopian yawn fest. No new ideas. Predictable story. James D'Arcy, to be fair to him, is pretty good in it. Some will say that the lack of real life contact that the characters have, causes the unbelievable and unconvincing interactions between the characters, within this storyline, but in all honesty, was just a poor script with poor actors. I probably thought more times about switching it off, before the end, than I have done for a film for a while, but I kept at it because I considered there might be a good twist or something, but no.
Cheap Sci-Fi
daisukereds29 September 2020
What is the name of that thing actors send to be hired for a role? An actor's Headshot?? This is what this movie feels like.
If it was written by James D'Arcy, I would have understood!! Except it wasn't, so I don't get it.
There are a lot of ideas, sure.. but, maybe too many.
Still, it lacks charm, and even feels over-acted at times. The lines and references feel old and repeated (Shakespeare, really?)
It's a "cheap story" in the end, and there isn't anything memorable or creative about it.
It's a "cheap story" in the end, and there isn't anything memorable or creative about it.
LOL
shathar-3191825 September 2020
Last 30 minutes was more fun than the first hour
edmoy26 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The movie has elements of the dystopian novel Brave New World, but instead of taking Soma in this futuristic drugged up society everyone takes Lithium X and spends their days interacting in a VR world called the "Realm" where we meet Adam Bird played by James D'Arcy (he was Jarvis the driver for Howard Stark in Avengers End Game) who is living a depressing life working for a VR company in a toxic world where nobody goes outside in the daytime unless they wanted to get fried by the deadly sun.
Adam seems disconnected from his wife and three boys who spend all their time in the VR Realm.
To ease his loneliness, Adam falls in love with his Avatar Lover Maria, who he gets off banging thru use of a sex doll linked to the VR Realm.
The setup takes up the whole first hour which is a slow boring talkfest. I personally like my sci-fi dystopian movies to quickly drop us into its world with stark visuals ala Blade Runner.
However, due to its low budget constraints this film relied heavily of dialogue as we are introduced to Adam's therapist and his doctor, who informs him he's dying from a heart problem.
Later we find out about "the father of human cloning," Delroy Lindo's Donald Stein who Adam tries to contact leading to Stein coming to find Adam.
Lindo as Stein brings energy to the story, helping to pick up its pace as the twists and turns begin to unfurl in the final half-hour.
The idea and concept for this movie intrigued me but I expected more from it than the dull first hour.
However once it got going the last 30 minutes was somewhat fun and entertaining with several clones, a mildly funny unexpected death, a VR assassination, and a soliloquy from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
As low budget movies go you could do worse. For what it's worth, it's mildly entertaining and visually okay to look at but never fleshes out its Dystopian Future to a degree that I would say this is a must watch.
Adam seems disconnected from his wife and three boys who spend all their time in the VR Realm.
To ease his loneliness, Adam falls in love with his Avatar Lover Maria, who he gets off banging thru use of a sex doll linked to the VR Realm.
The setup takes up the whole first hour which is a slow boring talkfest. I personally like my sci-fi dystopian movies to quickly drop us into its world with stark visuals ala Blade Runner.
However, due to its low budget constraints this film relied heavily of dialogue as we are introduced to Adam's therapist and his doctor, who informs him he's dying from a heart problem.
Later we find out about "the father of human cloning," Delroy Lindo's Donald Stein who Adam tries to contact leading to Stein coming to find Adam.
Lindo as Stein brings energy to the story, helping to pick up its pace as the twists and turns begin to unfurl in the final half-hour.
The idea and concept for this movie intrigued me but I expected more from it than the dull first hour.
However once it got going the last 30 minutes was somewhat fun and entertaining with several clones, a mildly funny unexpected death, a VR assassination, and a soliloquy from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
As low budget movies go you could do worse. For what it's worth, it's mildly entertaining and visually okay to look at but never fleshes out its Dystopian Future to a degree that I would say this is a must watch.
Arts graduates on shrooms
dumalexandru224 March 2021
Deadly pacing, but BRILLIANT script reminiscent of PKD!
krabat-025 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This is a GOOD manuscript. And one of the most lonely, up-to-date depictions of modern online society, just taken to future extremes. Also reminiscent of Philip K Dick
Problems #1, 2,, 3 and 4 are
1. Direction (director demanding too litle of actors) 2. Lack of funds (it looks a bit like theatre, but not taking the consequences entirely) 3. Editing (the pace is unnecessarily slow, but I guess it's simply too short - not enough dramatic elements and funds tie it to few locations) 4. Lack of live characters (even if most action takes place between the main protagonist and characterns not present (in the VR-realm))
So, it's kinda not very excitingly presented - sadly, as its brimming with original ideas (eg. Virtual assassination unlocking an insurance premium killing off the original human, but giving rise to a much better version of self - I mean: That's so ridiculously cold and completely in tune with the whole world built! Brilliant!)
I wont NOT give credit for the script. This gets the points. 7.5 out of 10 for the script. I wish I could give it more, but the pacing is really deadly.
Problems #1, 2,, 3 and 4 are
1. Direction (director demanding too litle of actors) 2. Lack of funds (it looks a bit like theatre, but not taking the consequences entirely) 3. Editing (the pace is unnecessarily slow, but I guess it's simply too short - not enough dramatic elements and funds tie it to few locations) 4. Lack of live characters (even if most action takes place between the main protagonist and characterns not present (in the VR-realm))
So, it's kinda not very excitingly presented - sadly, as its brimming with original ideas (eg. Virtual assassination unlocking an insurance premium killing off the original human, but giving rise to a much better version of self - I mean: That's so ridiculously cold and completely in tune with the whole world built! Brilliant!)
I wont NOT give credit for the script. This gets the points. 7.5 out of 10 for the script. I wish I could give it more, but the pacing is really deadly.
We didn't see that one coming - did we?
refordgarry26 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The Lithium X drug's a play on 'Lithuania', where this box of reels saw first light. And XL2048, ironically reminds many 60s folk of "Fireball XL5", a kids show, played by dolls. To pick any good side of this flick's as hard as its dumbed-down makers had finding a title. The principal, Adam (played competently by James D'Arcy) is, yet again in a hellish Future for the persecuted XY sex, facing yet further affronts, and they're also playing that "endangered planet" card again (Oh, No!) - only this time it's the Sun. Too hot to go out by day, with LT trains flying through transparent aerial tubey-things, the world, despite the presumed death of vegetation is well fed and at peace, since humanity's merely continuing its obsession with identity politics, 100% immersive social media, & making people-clones, whose duplex females have optional programming to say "NO", but whose cloned males come equipped with enhanced abilities to "satisfy". Hand me the Lithium X, please!
Rated much too low in my humble opinion.
deloudelouvain21 February 2021
My wife and I normally rate the movies we watch seperately and 90% of the time we rate it the same. Not for this one though, as I apparently enjoyed it much more than her, I gave it an eight and she gave it a six, which is a big gap for us. That said I write the reviews so it's going to be a positive one. Considering the budget it's a well made sci-fi, nothing too fancy in CGI's but the ones that were present gave us a good futuristic look. As well did the story, which was most entertaining to follow. Maybe a bit slow but certainly not boring. The concept of the story makes you think about the future and everything doesn't even look that far fetched when you see the new technology we get every year. Guy Moshe did a good job writing and directing this movie. As for the acting, James D'Arcy plays the main character and because of his good acting it's one of those performances that keeps you interested in the story. Once again I'm happy I didn't pay too much attention to the low ratings it got on IMDb, as most of the time I enjoy low rated movies with some positive well argumented reviews, and that even if there are a lot of extremely negative reviews from people that are just never satisfied. To me this movie is a good sci-fi, much better than some high budget sci-fi movies.
LX 2048
turtleloverules17 December 2021
A modern take on a classic
theduk9 June 2021
It's kinda a bit like an episode of tales of the unexpected as there is a twist and then another twist at the end, trouble is, it's quite boring, I was playing hill climb racing 2 whilst the film was playing cos it's so boring but the end was kinda ok. Not much in the way of scifi either.
Not My Cup of Tea
deedrefuhrman27 March 2022
Boring
dunn-dallas23 January 2022
I hoped for so much more but it was a boring mess. No true character development
No one to root for. Just boring.
So much potential unrealized.
I need 150 characters so I will keep typing until they let me post this boring movie review.
So much potential unrealized.
I need 150 characters so I will keep typing until they let me post this boring movie review.
I would have given more stars. . . .
clivejamesrd26 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
. . . if this movie had a "Satisfaction Guaranteed or Money Refunded" seal. But since this guarantee was overlooked, than a sincere one star is all I can swing.
The current 7.3 stars are all friends and relatives of the people that made the movie It wan't so much because they wanted to show their support but because they thought it would be a lark.
Give it a miss and you'll never regret it.
Interesting concept stitched from other ideas
ravencorinncarluk26 September 2020
This dystopian future draws off the existential fears of our current zeitgeist without being too sensational about it. However, it plays off too many ideas to have a strong narrative, but the ending pays off in my opinion.
Our protagonist is normally the only one on screen, and this lends to the idea that maybe he's just going crazy. Or maybe he's the only sane person in a crazy world. Either way, the actor does a great job.
Our protagonist is normally the only one on screen, and this lends to the idea that maybe he's just going crazy. Or maybe he's the only sane person in a crazy world. Either way, the actor does a great job.
Interesting concept which never seems to be completely fulfilled
jimbo-53-1865112 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
In a dystopian world where the toxicity of the sun forces people to stay indoors during the day, terminally ill man Adam Bird is the only person who doesn't hide away during daylight hours and bravely continues to carry on as normally as possible (with the aid of a HAZMAT suit he is able to get to and from the office every day) whilst his colleagues remain at home. Outside of work, Adam's home life isn't a happy one, yet despite this, he does his best to try and make things work (seemingly for the sake of his children if nothing else).
I liked the idea behind this film and it certainly held a lot of potential. I think what came as a bit of a problem to me was that it felt a bit narrow in terms of scope. The idea of cloning and people trying to exist by only been able to leave home at night is fascinating, but the film does not really delve deeper into things. I would have liked to learn more about how the clones and the human interact and live on a day to day basis; also exactly what percentage of the population are clones and what percentage are humans? Also at one point Reena says that her kids don't go to school; if meetings can be held virtually then surely lessons can be as well. It could be her personal choice for them not to be schooled or maybe there aren't enough teachers but this is never explained. I just felt that certain areas could have been expanded upon to make the film that bit more interesting and give it more depth.
In some ways, watching this film is a sad reflection of modern society; everything is done virtually, people don't generally engage person to person. You only have to look at the first scene with Adam and his family to see what I'm getting at. Adam seems to be painted as the bad guy here, but Reena has her fair share of flaws yet for some reason she's portrayed as the victim.
It's fair to say the VR world does allow the writers to give us an insight into the terrifying future that may lay ahead of us (Adam having sex with a VR doll) is one such scene which was incredibly weird to watch.
The scene at the end where Adam or Richard as he is known by at this point meets his clone self does offer some tension and allows Adam to potentially see the error of his ways.
One other thing that got me a bit with this film was the ending which felt abrupt. I would have liked to have seen how things were different with the couple going forward as they were effectively starting over again.
LX2048 is well-made, visually striking and interesting enough to be worth a look, but I just felt that it could have done with been more expansive and would have benefitted from being a bit deeper (the characters aren't the most interesting people in the world).
It's not the worst of its kind, but it's also far from the best.
I liked the idea behind this film and it certainly held a lot of potential. I think what came as a bit of a problem to me was that it felt a bit narrow in terms of scope. The idea of cloning and people trying to exist by only been able to leave home at night is fascinating, but the film does not really delve deeper into things. I would have liked to learn more about how the clones and the human interact and live on a day to day basis; also exactly what percentage of the population are clones and what percentage are humans? Also at one point Reena says that her kids don't go to school; if meetings can be held virtually then surely lessons can be as well. It could be her personal choice for them not to be schooled or maybe there aren't enough teachers but this is never explained. I just felt that certain areas could have been expanded upon to make the film that bit more interesting and give it more depth.
In some ways, watching this film is a sad reflection of modern society; everything is done virtually, people don't generally engage person to person. You only have to look at the first scene with Adam and his family to see what I'm getting at. Adam seems to be painted as the bad guy here, but Reena has her fair share of flaws yet for some reason she's portrayed as the victim.
It's fair to say the VR world does allow the writers to give us an insight into the terrifying future that may lay ahead of us (Adam having sex with a VR doll) is one such scene which was incredibly weird to watch.
The scene at the end where Adam or Richard as he is known by at this point meets his clone self does offer some tension and allows Adam to potentially see the error of his ways.
One other thing that got me a bit with this film was the ending which felt abrupt. I would have liked to have seen how things were different with the couple going forward as they were effectively starting over again.
LX2048 is well-made, visually striking and interesting enough to be worth a look, but I just felt that it could have done with been more expansive and would have benefitted from being a bit deeper (the characters aren't the most interesting people in the world).
It's not the worst of its kind, but it's also far from the best.
I liked it better than I expected
mattmusko10 November 2020
I liked this concept as it shows that nothing is future proof. Cloning products battle with VR and other upcoming contenders to help give the dying human race options to remain into perpetuity. It was super cheap to buy on Amazon but it is probably better to wait until it lands on a subscription streaming service or one of the free ad supported ones.
Good points but...
c_leicester21 March 2021
This really should become a TV series. It would be like Westworld meets Black Mirror.
Top_Dawg_Critic2 March 2021
It took me a very long time juggling if I should see this with so many mixed reviews, but when I had nothing decent left to watch, I gave it a go, and I'm glad I did.
Yes, this film wont be for everyone. It's the opposite of an actual Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster, but it was still brilliant, and exceptionally produced, especially for a low budget B-film. It needed more time to expand on its many excellent elements, thus why this would make for an amazing and successful TV series, and would be right up there with Westworld and Black Mirror.
Shockingly, this stunning production was put together my a newb filmmaker, with this film being pretty much his 4th film, of 1 being a short. Writer, producer, editor and director Guy Moshe presented a film, that one would assume was put together by well know seasoned filmmakers.
Moshe's directing was flawless and his editing on point. The cinematography was outstanding, with amazing shots and use of colors and shadows. The sets and landscape were convincing of a futuristic world, and pretty much how I would envision it. The S/VFX were stunning. The score was fitting and on point - something rare for B-film, where it's typically loud, overbearingly constant, annoying and unfitting. The 103 min runtime, although a little slowly paced, still flowed nicely. But the faster pacing towards the end felt the story getting rushed and convoluted. I actually wanted another 10-20 mins added to the last quarter of the film, to elaborate more, and build up the story better. All casting and performances were excellent and convincing. If I would critique any performance, it'd be the cop, but then again, how different would attitudes, sympathy and compassion look like in the future?
Sure Moshe's screenplay wasn't perfect, but for a newb filmmaker, it was much better than some garbage I've seen lately from seasoned filmmakers. It had excellent storyline continuity and progression. But where Moshe shined, was in his brilliant story's premise, with his perfectly matched visuals. There are many components to his story, almost too many to fit in one movie, thus why this would be an excellent TV series. It questions our constantly changing environment and our own humanity, and what it means to be human, where cloning is a life-insurance option. It's about surviving and dealing with a changing dystopian world were we have to live at night due to the burning daytime sun. Where we live, work, play and communicate in a virtual world most of the time, and even "hang out" with friends and family in "the realm". Where office buildings are vacant due to this virtual and unbearable world. And so much more. What makes this really stand out, is that this story does not feel far fetched at all, especially when we're almost there.
This little gem will stay with you long after it's over. Never mind the "Hollywood-blockbuster expectation" reviewers, Moshe should be very proud of this accomplishment. If you're as hard core futuristic-sci-fi fan as I am, you will really appreciate and enjoy this one. And if you're like me, you will want more of it. So Mr. Moshe, please get to it sir. It's a well deserved 8/10 from me. To see how I critique and rate films, or more of my 1000+ reviews, click on my profile.
Yes, this film wont be for everyone. It's the opposite of an actual Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster, but it was still brilliant, and exceptionally produced, especially for a low budget B-film. It needed more time to expand on its many excellent elements, thus why this would make for an amazing and successful TV series, and would be right up there with Westworld and Black Mirror.
Shockingly, this stunning production was put together my a newb filmmaker, with this film being pretty much his 4th film, of 1 being a short. Writer, producer, editor and director Guy Moshe presented a film, that one would assume was put together by well know seasoned filmmakers.
Moshe's directing was flawless and his editing on point. The cinematography was outstanding, with amazing shots and use of colors and shadows. The sets and landscape were convincing of a futuristic world, and pretty much how I would envision it. The S/VFX were stunning. The score was fitting and on point - something rare for B-film, where it's typically loud, overbearingly constant, annoying and unfitting. The 103 min runtime, although a little slowly paced, still flowed nicely. But the faster pacing towards the end felt the story getting rushed and convoluted. I actually wanted another 10-20 mins added to the last quarter of the film, to elaborate more, and build up the story better. All casting and performances were excellent and convincing. If I would critique any performance, it'd be the cop, but then again, how different would attitudes, sympathy and compassion look like in the future?
Sure Moshe's screenplay wasn't perfect, but for a newb filmmaker, it was much better than some garbage I've seen lately from seasoned filmmakers. It had excellent storyline continuity and progression. But where Moshe shined, was in his brilliant story's premise, with his perfectly matched visuals. There are many components to his story, almost too many to fit in one movie, thus why this would be an excellent TV series. It questions our constantly changing environment and our own humanity, and what it means to be human, where cloning is a life-insurance option. It's about surviving and dealing with a changing dystopian world were we have to live at night due to the burning daytime sun. Where we live, work, play and communicate in a virtual world most of the time, and even "hang out" with friends and family in "the realm". Where office buildings are vacant due to this virtual and unbearable world. And so much more. What makes this really stand out, is that this story does not feel far fetched at all, especially when we're almost there.
This little gem will stay with you long after it's over. Never mind the "Hollywood-blockbuster expectation" reviewers, Moshe should be very proud of this accomplishment. If you're as hard core futuristic-sci-fi fan as I am, you will really appreciate and enjoy this one. And if you're like me, you will want more of it. So Mr. Moshe, please get to it sir. It's a well deserved 8/10 from me. To see how I critique and rate films, or more of my 1000+ reviews, click on my profile.
Doesn't know what it wants to be ....
ExitSouth17 February 2021
Gave up, too boring.
ThatDarnIrishMan0124 June 2022
Originally I was hovering over the remote at near 30 minutes in. I was already bored with the movie, it's dystopian plot was boring and not very fleshed out at all, the main character was boring and it really felt like a quarantine movie where 90% of the time the main character (who gives a solid performance to be fair) is sitting by himself with a VR headset on talking to himself in an empty room where we barely ever see what he sees.
At exactly the 30 minute mark though, a new character is introduced with a bit of a twist. It was a bit more interesting so I tried giving it more time but within 10 minutes it started going downhill again. The movie relies so heavily on flashbacks. It sets up very little at the start and terms are just thrown at you, then 40 minutes later will explain what the terms mean. It's not an interesting way to tell a story since you find yourself wondering about points and then when you finally are told about them, they're entirely uninteresting.
I got to about the hour mark and then just gave up. There is no reason for this movie to be near two hours long. If it was maybe 80 minutes long I'd have struggled through but another 50 after wanting to give up twice was impossible.
Too many flashbacks, too many scenes with the wife who I'm sure the movie wants to be unlikeable but she wasn't an enjoyable type of unlikeable. Too many scenes of him sitting alone shouting at a VR headset about uninteresting business deals. The social commentary is what your dad would say at the dinner table even in the early 2000s that kids spend too much time on their phones.
At exactly the 30 minute mark though, a new character is introduced with a bit of a twist. It was a bit more interesting so I tried giving it more time but within 10 minutes it started going downhill again. The movie relies so heavily on flashbacks. It sets up very little at the start and terms are just thrown at you, then 40 minutes later will explain what the terms mean. It's not an interesting way to tell a story since you find yourself wondering about points and then when you finally are told about them, they're entirely uninteresting.
I got to about the hour mark and then just gave up. There is no reason for this movie to be near two hours long. If it was maybe 80 minutes long I'd have struggled through but another 50 after wanting to give up twice was impossible.
Too many flashbacks, too many scenes with the wife who I'm sure the movie wants to be unlikeable but she wasn't an enjoyable type of unlikeable. Too many scenes of him sitting alone shouting at a VR headset about uninteresting business deals. The social commentary is what your dad would say at the dinner table even in the early 2000s that kids spend too much time on their phones.
Avoid..Unless You're an Insomniac
jm-vincent11 August 2021
Title of this review sums it up neatly. If you want to make a film (not "flick" which this is) which consists primarily of people sitting around talking, use "Mr Dinner with Andre" as your road map; that was at least interesting. If you need background noise (which some students and even dedicated readers do to force them to concentrate on a text, turn the sound on this down to a mumble and go for it...or better yet, turn this mind-number off and put on some light classical music.
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