virtual reality is a topic that has almost defined its own genre .
since ' dark city ' ( 1998 ) , films about alternative universes and parallel worlds have been coming one after another .
the most popular and original of them all has been the matrix .
all the films released after it , have been less successful .
david cronenberg 's existenz , released only a couple of months after the matrix , was accepted and even appreciated ( by some ) , but the hype was gone .
and when ' the thirteenth floor ' aired this fall , it was completely overseen and ignored .
i admit that this issue has become something between tiring and annoying , feeling like eating the same meal over and over again .
it was therefore i was less than excited , when i went out to see to ' the thirteenth floor ' . however ,
i was positively surprised by josef rusnak 's latest picture .
matrix was an entertaining thrill ride through dreams and reality , combining the best of hollywood 's action and effects with an intelligent story .
existenz was a violent , gory and unsettling journey through reality and virtual reality , ending in blood and madness . ' the thirteenth floor ' is somewhere in between .
instead of going after the crowds - the action audience ( like the matrix ) , or aiming at the horror fans ( like existenz ) , ' the thirteenth floor ' presents a more intelligent plot , witch will provide a less entertaining and more serious experience , that the true science fiction lovers will find rewarding . in a near future . .
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on the thirteenth floor of a classified building , a genius scientist , hannon fuller , has created a simulated world , his personal dreamworld , where every inhabitant is a complex , selflearning program that only believes it is real .
right after the first testing of this world , fuller ( ) is found murdered .
douglas hall ( ) , his closest friend and business partner , immediately becomes the prime suspect and must enter through the thirteenth floor in search of the truth .
a beautiful woman ( gretchen mol ) who suddenly appears on the scene may hold the key to the mystery , which might unravel the horrifying truth about his own existence .
the first " download into simulation " is impressive .
it is the creator 's first visit to his world , his creation .
in order to enter this virtual universe , you have to take over someone 's identity , become another person .
this is called conciseness transfer , and this is part of the tragedy in the film :
people " wake up " in unknown places and strange things start happen .
they start to doubt in their own sanity .
these innocent people pay for the mistakes of their " users " and creators with their sanity and their lives .
it is a frightening reality ;
the fact that all the people in the simulation ( the program links ) are living out their lives , oblivious , not knowing that they are puppets in someone 's fantasy .
with an appealing ( " blade runner " - type ) of detective story , this film presents the beauty and possibilities of virtual reality and the lurking danger that is always present .
our modern world is metal and glass -- cold , unfriendly , impersonal .
the thirties are different -- colorful , beautiful , elegant , virile .
this contrast demonstrates a wish for change .
virtual reality is here portrayed as a magical , enchanting power that seduces you into its endless possibilities .
to some it is just a journey to their personal paradise , to some a personal playground -- a life without any consequences .
for others - a way to start over and " correct " their mistakes , by living in an illusion of their past .
virtual reality is a wizard that transforms your hopes , dreams and fantasies to life .
at least that 's how it is all beginning .
but when you 're waking up from your dream , the real world seems worthless and unreal and all you can think off is returning to your personal paradise .
this , almost narcotic effect , soon turns into confusion and ultimately madness .
some important and interesting philosophical questions are raised -- what is real ?
what is thought ? who are we ? if these were answered , this film would be the greatest science fiction ever made .
they are off course not answered , but posed in an intelligent manner .
the visual aspect of the film is one of the key elements , since it portrays the contrast between these computer - simulated universes .
kirk m . petrucelli has done a marvelous job with the recreation of the thirties with its glamour , grace and color ; and setting this world in opposition to our own -- an almost caricatured recreation of the nineties .
there are some honest and decent performances by an almost unknown cast and harald klose 's moody musical score that is at in right place at the right time .
a rather unusual thing about'the thirteenth floor ' is the almost complete lack of special effects .
there are no cgi animated creatures , no bullets in slow motion .
this is a more philosophical approach , reminding about the european way of filmmaking .
this is off course a major disappointment to the audience that is used to endless gunfights and mutated amphibians , but the more serious science fiction buffs and ' dark city'-fans will be pleased
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this film is interesting and inspiring .
it has everything existenz does n't , but it lacks the immediacy and intensity of the matrix .
and then there is a happy end which , like in ' dark city ' , completely alienates it from the rest of the story and context .
the plot itself is not as original as the filmmakers want us to think , since they have virtually sucked out all information from the best science fiction classics , including blade runner and ' dark city ' .
with this in mind , ' the thirteenth floor ' does n't make an oscar candidate or a film that will be remembered a year from now , yet
this is a beautiful , elegant and intelligent take on virtual reality .
Output: P