Directed by Andrew Baird
Written by: Bryan Edward Hill
Starring: Guy Pearce, Travis Fimmel, Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz
Runtime: 1hr 38min
In theaters, digital and on demand September 3

by Nikk Nelson, Staff Writer, Cinematic Maniac

Blade Runner (1982) is one of my all-time favorite movies but I oftentimes worry about its lingering hold over the sci-fi genre in cinema. Is every sci-fi movie that seeks to discuss humanity’s relationship with the possibility of artificial humanity doomed to be immediately compared to Blade Runner? Can it ever truly be original, especially in the face of countless other android-based fare that has tackled the subject matter from seemingly every potential angle from A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) to I, Robot (2004) to Ex Machina (2014) to the TV series, Humans (2015), Westworld (2016), and Raised by Wolves (2020)? Zone 414 (2021), written by Bryan Edward Hill and directed by Andrew Baird, tees up and gives it the ol’ college try to mixed results, in my opinion. Again, I’m pretty obsessed cinematically with this subject matter and Blade Runner in particular so I will probably be a harsher voice in this regard but the way I see it, if you know you’re going to be compared to Blade Runner no matter what, then give me something completely off the wall to at least set yourself apart. Unfortunately, what Zone 414 really seems to opt for is homage rather than originality.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing. I always want to watch Blade Runner, even when it’s not Blade Runner. Guy Pearce stands in for Harrison Ford as ex-police detective with haunted past David Carmichael, hired by creepy eccentric genius inventor Marlon Veidt (catch that reference?) to find his missing daughter who was last seen in Zone 414, the only section of the city where androids are allowed to freely interact with humans. Canned, pun intended, android-fatale, Jane, played in perhaps the best performance of the film by Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, is David’s conduit, double pun, into the world of Zone 414. A more generic film noir setup there couldn’t possibly be. You may call it ‘classic’ and dig it. Personally, I’m a bit fatigued by it. They say don’t reinvent the wheel. I say the world has more than enough wheels, why not try and invent something totally new? Instead, Zone 414, although composed and shot with obvious talent, is little more than watered down Blade Runner and even Blade Runner 2049 (2017) costumes and visuals coupled with a something something ‘what if a killer’s kink was killing the sex-bot?’ sub-plot that gives you all the dark-alley, stairwell, ghost and wind foot chases your heart desires, if your heart desires. Mine does not.

I kept waiting for a twist that never really arrived. Any suspense had the standard beats of suspense which immediately compromised any suspense. Rounding out the cast were some great character performances from the likes of Travis Fimmel (Raised by Wolves (2020)) as Veidt, Colin Salmon (Resident Evil (2004)), and Olwen Fouéré and Ned Dennehy, from one of my recent favorites, Mandy (2018). Andrew Baird’s next feature, One Way, is set to be released next year. The current IMDB synopsis is: “Freddy, a petty criminal, is on the run with a bag full of cash and coke. He's way over his head and hurt bad. With a bullet in his guts he's running out of time. Fast.” Zone 414 wasn’t really my cup of tea despite absolutely being my cup of tea but it won’t stop me from checking out more from these filmmakers.

--Alternative recommendations for Guy Pearce include L.A. Confidential (1997), The Proposition (2005), and The Rover (2014). For sci-fi specifically, I can’t stop recommending Prospect (2018)--

--A noir-ish and sort of sci-fi film adaptation I’d love to see: Gun, With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem--