Low-budget movies can be amazing when they do more with less, but disappointing when they don’t.
The Hive (2023) sets up numerous possible plot points in the first 15 minutes that could turn into potential low-budget gold. But none of these possibilities play out. Instead, a flat script and one-dimensional characters fill up its 90 minutes with so many things you’ve already seen before.
What keeps the movie somewhat interesting is the suspense of not knowing what’s fully going on. The film starts with wife Penny (Christie Griffin) getting ready for a date night with her husband Albie (Timothy Haug, looking like a younger, discount Rupert Friend). A dreamy, synth-y, '80s soundtrack give this opening scene and many others the feel of a much more expensive movie, hinting at the film’s potential.
But as soon as Penny starts talking to Albie, that potential goes out the window. The script sets up some strife between the couple, who had their mother-in-law watch the kids so they could have date night to reconnect. But nearly every line comes off as forced and cliché, with almost no nuance. Albie is the distant creative, lost in his current novel or movie script (it’s never clear which) and frustrated by his wife’s attempt to make their relationship better.
Some other early scenes set other potential low-budget possibilities, but these all fizzle out when the real plot begins. A strange couple have inhabited Penny and Albie’shouse when they get back from the date. A confrontation on their porch sends them to Penny’s sister, who lives nearby.
An unexpected sci-fi element then takes the film in a different direction that plays out just as flat and cliché as the opening scenes. No one element of the plot, the dialogue, or the breezed-over ideas ever amount to anything substantial. If one theme or plot, such as the relationship drama or the writer looking for some new inspiration, would have been given more time, then this film could have taken advantage of it’s potential to become a low-budget film worth watching.
- EB