Tuesday 10 January 2017

Flatliners

"Flatliners" (1990, Joel Schumacher, Columbia Pictures, Stonebridge Entertainment) is a sci-fi horror about the dangers of fooling around with the afterlife.

Medical student, Nelson (Kiefer Sutherland), has a theory he wants to prove: he wants to die and then brought back under controlled conditions to prove that there is something beyond death. He convinces fellow students; Rachel (Julia Roberts), Dave (Kevin Bacon), Joe (William Baldwin) and Randy (Oliver Platt) to help him achieve this experiment. When the experiment turns out to be successful, each of Nelson's associates are keen to have their own turn to see beyond the veil. However, Nelson has withheld some disturbing information about the aftereffects of his discovery: he did not come back from the netherworld alone...

A really excellent film that enjoys an amazing cast and a really striking style which has been mimicked by many films since. Abstract, inventive and entertaining this film enjoys a deserved cult status and it's cast went on to achieve great things in their own right. The only negative plot point would be the repetitiveness of the story. We do eventually go through the motions after the first couple of characters flatline.

A fun bit of sci-fi that has aged well.

[Image: Stonebridge Entertainment]

Hani

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