As Above, So Below

By John Mulderig, Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) – Claustrophobics beware: Set mostly in the network of catacombs that lie beneath Paris, the second-rate chiller “As Above, So Below” (Universal) is not the film for you. Gory images and an excess of hysteria-induced swearing put director and co-writer John Erick Dowdle’s jolt-fest off limits for many others as well.

Ben Feldman, left, and Perdita Weeks are shown in a scene from “As Above, So Below.” They are led to explore the Paris catacombs. (Venue photo/ Universal Pictures)

Dowdle, who collaborated on the script with his brother Drew, gets things going with some Dan Brown-style alternate history. Following in the footsteps of her distinguished father, plucky, British accented archaeologist Scarlett (Perdita Weeks), an expert on the pseudo-science alchemy, is out to find the holy grail of alchemists everywhere, the legendary philosopher’s stone. This supposedly miraculous artifact has the power to turn base metals into gold and to impart eternal life.

The fact that Dad may have been driven mad by his pursuit of it – he ended up hanging himself – fails to deter Scarlett.

A variety of clues involving medieval-era Parisian Nicolas Flamel lead Scarlett to conclude that the object of her quest is hidden in those aforementioned tunnels – which, by the way, are full of human bones. So she obtains the services of a local expert on them, a hipster graffiti artist who goes by the not-exactly-original moniker Papillon (Francois Civil).

Despite his considerable reluctance, Scarlett also corrals her prickly pal George (Ben Feldman) into turning mole with her. Along with their interest in archaeology and the occult, these two share a romantic history together as well. But this is no time for hearts and flowers; it’s off to the world’s largest underground cemetery.

There Papillon does his best, but the expedition goes badly wrong (you knew it would, right?). Scarlett, George, Papillon and the other participants – Pap’s too-cool-for-school friends Souxie (Marion Lambert) and Zed (Ali Marhyar) as well as filmmaker Benji (Edwin Hodge) who’s documenting Scarlett’s doings – all begin to have hellish hallucinations.

Between Benji’s camera and Scarlett’s cell phone, Dowdle tries to create a sense of immediacy with a found-footage approach. But that conceit has gotten threadbare to say the least, while the initial promise of Dowdle’s tale – getting trapped in a vast ossuary below the City of Lights does have its gothic appeal – gets lost as quickly as his characters do.

The movie dabbles momentarily in the kind of reality-follows-thought notions clung to by Scientologists and the like. But this is just one more detour on a long, confused chase for daylight.

The film contains intermittent bloody violence, a handful of profanities and pervasive rough and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is L – limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R – restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Into the Storm

By John Mulderig, Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) – Perhaps you were under the impression that tornadoes are no big deal.

Max Deacon, Richard Armitage and Nathan Kress star in a scene from the movie “Into the Storm.” (CNS photo/Warner Bros.)

If so, along comes the old-fashioned, special effects-driven disaster movie “Into the Storm” (Warner Bros.) to prove you wrong.

Essentially a found-footage “Poseidon Adventure” for the landlocked, director Steven Quale’s film, as scripted by John Swetnam, does boast helpful touches of humour as well as such unimpeachable values as family solidarity and life-at-stake altruism. Still, the intensity of the building peril – together with the vocabulary it elicits from the cast – makes this ride on the whirlwind best for fully-grown thrill seekers.

Pity the small Midwestern burg of Silverton. Not only is it in the crosshairs of an unprecedented series of havoc-wreaking twisters, it’s also a town without a state, at least as far as Swetnam’s geographically coy screenplay is concerned. Are we or are we not in Kansas anymore? Enquiring minds want to know!

Be that as it may, Toto, Silverton is home to widower Gary Fuller (Richard Armitage) and his two teenage sons, Donnie (Max Deacon) and Trey (Nathan Kress). Alas for the lads, especially Donnie, Gary is the vice principal of the high school they both attend. He’s also demanding and emotionally aloof, which leads to the odd intergenerational skirmish.

When not squabbling with Dad or pining for his seemingly unattainable schoolmate Kaitlyn (Alycia Debnam-Carey), Donnie occupies his time videotaping everything in sight, a predilection that allows Quale to go (mostly) hand-held. Quale gets additional aid to that end from a crew of professional storm chasers who arrive on the scene just in time to commit Silverton’s impending demolition to pixels.

They’re led by peevish documentarian Pete Moore (Matt Walsh). Pete is on edge because he and the gang have been wandering the countryside for a year without bankable results, a failure for which he blames their brainy meteorologist, Allison Stone (Sarah Wayne Callies).

Even if he is on the professional and monetary skids, though, Pete ought to console himself with the thought that the steel-plated, tank-like vehicle in which he pursues unsettled conditions hither and yon across the heartland is one uber-cool ride.

Naturally, Gary’s boss – who doesn’t seem to spend much time watching the Weather Channel – insists on holding graduation outside. And naturally Donnie and Kaitlyn, with whom he’s finally connected, end up – for reasons far too complicated to bother with – in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of town where all manner of rusty debris is just waiting to fall on and entrap them.

Well, at least it makes for a memorable first date.

The film contains occasional grim violence and pervasive menace, a few sexual references, a couple of uses of profanity and frequent crude and crass language. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III – adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.