And it might just be silly enough to work...

Rating: 7/10 (25 August 2014)

I didn't like the first fifteen minutes or so of this movie. On paper, it reads like an aborted X-Files episode, and it did feel that way in the opening stages. But I remained patient, and was rewarded - it's not an amazing movie, but it's enjoyable and entertaining enough. It's undeniable that it papers over certain cracks in the plot, but, nonetheless, you're in such a state of suspending your disbelief anyway that it all just sort of rolls up into one mad, fun, mess - like, in fact, most good sci-fi. The performances are satisfactory and Ashton Kutcher is not completely intolerable as the lead; the youngster they got to play child Kutcher is particularly good at channeling his older self. At times, this film attempts to be a bit too clever for its own good, and the plot cohesion suffers as a result, and its tone is arguably a tad confused; switching between light-hearted and dark themes with little space or time for a proper transition. Nonetheless, overall it's a solid thriller that should keep you hooked, and, despite a bit of a soft ending, satisfied.