New Sci Fi Releases: Evolution Refined: Chimera (2018) Reviewed



Chimera. The next step in evolution.

When a reclusive doctor is haunted by his past and potential future, things get strange and mildly hallucinogenic as a story about fatherhood melts down into an interesting piece of genre bending film making hell bent on making its audience use their brains. Using a unique narrative that discusses religious impact, moral ambiguity, and the political realms that shape the world of science, Chimera is a slow burn topped by violent outbursts and great acting.

Stem cells, cloning, and regeneration take center stage as a doctor seeks to heal his children. Telling a tale that’s both topical and modern, a story is rendered of one man’s painful obsession to find closure. Through a steady batch of animal subjects and self mutilation, 2018 is already ripe with the momentum of science fiction that plays to our societal woes and diseased existence on this earth.





Lost star, Henry Ian Cusick stars in the new film Chimera, a lower budget offering that blurs that fine line between horror, thriller, and science fiction. Kicking off in the confines of a scientific lab, the music instantly sinks its hooks into you as a few moments of gore set the tone for a movie that’s part Frankenstein, part lab drama, part paranoid breakdown, part Re-Animator, and one final part emotional thrill ride. Cusick does his best to leave behind the years of that famed ABC series, setting himself up as more a feature length player. Never sure if what’s in his imagination or where reality crosses into madness, Chimera is a steadily directed feature that’s absolutely relevant to our current battle to cure the disease known as mortality.


I have to get back to the island!!!!

Calling into question God’s purpose for mankind and whether or not he/she actually exists, man’s desire for perfection comes to a boiling point. Cusick’s performance plays perfectly to the mad scientist tropes that have filled this genre for years. With Kathleen Quinlan pushing his buttons and amplifying the stressors of laboratory confinement, this is a film ripe with fictional scientific mumbo jumbo and cool blue lighting that sets a definite mood. First time director Maurice Haeems carved out his own little niche of science based horror that could predict our own dire future, especially if medical technology continues on its current path. While the story could have used some refinement, the ideas that are transitioned to the screen are really cool.

If you're the type of person that doesn't need everything spelled out and you enjoy a bit of mystery in your sci-fi, Chimera satisfy your thirst for something different. It's not the best film ever. But it will have you on your toes, wondering where it might just head next. 

Score


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