Self/Less: Movie Review

The new action/thriller “Self/Less” suffers from a serious lack of originality. The reason I found this surprising is because it was directed by Tarsem Singh (“The Cell”, “The Fall”, “Immortals”, “Mirror, Mirror”). Although his films weren’t always good, they at least had a unique visual style and they showed creativity. “Self/Less” is about as mainstream and average as you can get. It’s not very good, it’s not bad, it’s just entertaining enough to not be boring but easily forgettable.

Wealthy business tycoon, Damian (Ben Kingsley) has months left to live due to cancer. Damian gets a second chance at life, via a medical procedure called “shedding”, in which Dr. Albright (Matthew Goode) transfer his consciousness into a younger healthy body (Ryan Reynolds).

After the procedure, Damian is given a new identity, home, bank account, car and a bottle of red pills that he must take on schedule. Of course Damian forgets to take the pill one time and he begins having visions, but they aren’t really visions, they are memories. Damian decides to follow the memories of his hosted body and seek the truth. It turns his new body wasn’t grown in a lab, it belonged to a man who had life.

When Damian finds the wife Madeline (Natalie Martinez) and daughter Anna (Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen). They are soon attacked by the organization that wants to keep their medical operations a secret. The rest of “Self/Less” winds up being more of a chase with Damian being torn between keeping the body he now resides in or cease taking the pills which would result in Mark (husband and father to Madeline and Anna) taking back control of his own body.

“Self/Less” borrows from so many better films. Character twists are taken right from “Total Recall”, the henchmen body jumping is taken right from “The Sixth Day” and the rest of it feels just as familiar. However, it’s never dull. Easily the best scenes in “Self/Less” come early on when Ben kingsley is on screen, but by 15 minutes into the movie, he is no longer seen. I will say that out of all the films I have seen that are being released this week (which include “Minions” and “The Gallows”), “Self/Less” is by far the best choice”.

By: Marc Ferman