Lake Artifact

Watched this on a complete whim from Tubi, not expecting much. But time paradox/manipulation movies have always been a niche of mine. The songs used are few and far between, but used to great effect (if you're into that style, granted.) 20 mins in and we've met our cast, some drunken college times have been had, and things are set to take a turn for the strange. I wont get into details, but felt by the end most of my questions had been answered. The movie contains some elements of other time Paradox notables (Coherence, Triangle, and a dash of Time Crimes), not that I'd view this as a bad thing. And it finds it's own sort of take on it all by the end. The movie made incredible work of what I imagine is low to no budget. And for what I assume is a cast of unknowns (think I recognized one), I felt they worked adequately, and if anything their less known status made them seem more "real" and authentic (IMO). I try to limit reviews lately, I am no "professional critic" nor pretend to be, but felt compelled to say those into films like COHERENCE and TRIANGLE may, I hope, enjoy this and entertain adding it to the still rather niche realm of time Paradox movies 7/10 for me, rises above neutral/lukewarm (5) and slight positive (6).

So many movies with a group of friends. Writers have done this plot from A to Z. Some deep thinking writer thought he would make a masterpiece. Nope. Hard to follow. Not for me.

What you have here with this movie is a nice effort that doesn't let its low budget hinder its production quality. The movie is directed and shot very well and the actors are outstanding in their roles. The score is basic but it manages to do the job it was intended for. If I have one complaint with this it would be the script. It isn't bad by any means at all but it feels like the concept could have been explored just a little better for a slightly more coherent story, even if it feels like ambiguity was intended. Ambiguity and coherence don't have to be mutually exclusive and this movie would have benefited greatly from the latter. Still. I can't say that the minor flaws take away from an enjoyable and somewhat unique sci-fi experience.

Well to say this is utterly nonsensical would be an understatement! I can imagine the confusion from the filmmakers at the meetings with cast and crew having to constantly explain what number loop they are in on any particular day ! The ending, well what can I say, by this stage the viewer would have a brain ache and be on the gin !

It's just a horrible film, absolutely HATED Tommy's character! Let's al be honest he was just used for a bad comic relief, which absolutely horrible may I add.

It tried hard to be smart and clever and deep. However, it was an amateurish attempt that fell flat in a number of ways. It was way too on-the-nose and obvious from the very beginning. The characters immediately knew something was off and even mentioned theories based on previous Sci/Fi plots. There was no buildup, no creativity, no mystery, nothing for the viewer to connect or conclude. In addition, the purported plot made no sense. It borrowed blatantly and badly from other time loop movies that were successful in their delivery (I won't mention names for fear of spoilers). They had held tensioning intrigue and suspense, while this film was filled with random scenes that did not come close to forming a coherent hole. The cuts were abrupt and jarring abd were frankly lazy - no attempt was made to flow from one scene to the next. The entire story came off as contrived and ill-conceived. You cannot expect the viewer to accept fantastical explanations if you have provided no consent or clues leading there. The characters were provided knowledge that they could never have acquired. Too many things went nowhere and seemed pointless. The cult backstory was ridiculous and did not serve the time loop premise whatsoever, and the so-called "satanic are shoved down viewers' throats pointlessly. The documentary premise does not make sense while the viewer is also watching events occur outside of documentary. Either it's found footage or a documentary or the camera serves as an omniscient narrator with no awareness on the part of the characters. It can't be a combination of devices. That does not work. I might have been able to forgive some of these story errors if the performances had been moderately compelling. Sadly, this qas not the case. The dialogue was stilted and unrealistic, and most of the actors were unconvincingand unsympathetic. The "Tommy" character seemed like a caricature of an urban black man. The "Megan" character was a stereotype of a hard-partying, shallow, hysterical girl. The characters' words and actions did not make sense within the context of the events. I appreciated the chill undertone of "Thomas," but everyone else was disappointing. Low-budget movies can br enormously successful in executing their visions. You don't need fancy special effects or sets or locations to make a good film. You do need a compelling story. This film was fine visually - I had no issues with the picture or camera work. Rather, the flaws lay in the script, character development, and execution. At times a movie is so complex that it creates confusion, and the viewer might need or want to watch again to fully appreciate it. "Inception" comes to mind as an example. This film is the opposite. It is confusing in its lack of a story. It's as if random clichéd plot points were dropped into a bowl, and a handful were selected and put together with no care or thought. I think this film could have been interesting if there had been a well-developed story based on the concept.

Yet another cabin in the woods pile of drivel. How many more of these films do we have to suffer before the producers realise they've milked this particular cow to death. I pity the actors who have to make such films. If you can last through till the end, I admire your fortitude, I couldn't stop yawning!

I have never watched a more horrible movie in my 40 years. There was no movie! Just cuts. What the heck did I just do with my life? It wasn't just wasted minutes , it was wasted energy of time and space. Time and space belonging to us all, to all matter of existence.