THE COMPLEX: LOCKDOWN Review: Passable Sci-Fi Mystery Entertainment Fills The Void
Game fans akin to Wales Interactive’s The Complex may take a liking to Paul Raschid’s interactive feature sci-fi thriller of the same name, albeit titled The Complex: Lockdown. Films with a contained millieu definitely tend to fall victim to a more slower-burn pacing, though thanks in large part to screenwriter Lynn Renee Maxcy, there are plenty of suspenseful moments to this film’s benefit, and with a story that nonetheless saves the big pitch for last.
Pushing off of an intro set five years prior, the main story introduces Dr. Amy Tennant (Michelle Mylett), a former warzone medical expert following her recent travails as a warzone medical technician. Currently seeking major backers for her nanotech push, an incident in a London tube sends Amy off to a bittersweet reunion with former partner Rees Wakefield (Al Weaver) at The Complex, a state of the art medical facility overseen by Nathalie Kensington (Kate Dickie).
Amy and Rees are assigned to an underground lab within The Complex – walled off by an airless void and other protective barriers – to extract stolen nanites from their subdued host, Claire (Kim Adis). What soon unfolds will find the trio fighting for their lives with assassins on the opposite side of the lab’s nearly-impenetrable defenses. Alas, it isn’t long before the bodies start stacking, although surprisingly, the longer Amy, Rees and Claire remain trapped, the sooner the dilligent Amy begins to unravel the mystery, exposing a deadly conspiracy and corruption plot at the heart of her nano research.
Small budgeted and smartly crafted in large part, the performances are generally well done and suited for what the film presents; Adis is impressive as Claire, whose motivations become the initial driving force for the story’s progression. Excellent make-up and use of body prosthetics lend a more convincing presentation for Claire’s decaying condition
With the role of Amy, there’s a certain irony with how much she expresses her intent on saving lives a doctor should, as opposed to what happens in the film, and it possibly culimates in fitting fashion with the ending, which is otherwise a good move on Maxcy’s part. The dialogue between her and Rees deals a lot with their past as a former item, in conjunction with the sexual tension that presumably arises every now and again, as well as their fallout five years earlier. Not all of it is essential to the story, so it feels more or less like filler compared to what is, and what could have been, and so at the very least, it’s a feasible asset to the film’s development alongside the performances, between some of the more arousing thrills in between, with Amy and Rees scuffling with at least one assassin at one point.
Dickie’s Kensington, along with that of roles carried by Rachel Petladwala and Okorie Chukwu contribute greatly to the film’s accumulating intrigue in the second half, save for any mystery that becomes a bit too predictable prior the third act. If you’re heavily into it, the finale should give you an inviting thrill into the world the game offers if gaming is more your speed, and certainly, The Complex: Lockdown provides a nifty sci-fi feature to endulge as part of the package.
The Complex: Lockdown will release on Digital/HD beginning October 13 from Giant Pictures.
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