Elevation (2024)

"Elevation" stars Anthony Mackie, Morena Baccarin, Maddie Hasson, and Tony Goldwyn.  Released on November 8, 2024, the film has a father and two women venturing to save his son's life.
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The film was directed by George Nolfi, who also directed "The Adjustment Bureau", "Birth of the Dragon", and "The Banker".  They say that the only way to go is up, but what if I told you that that isn't always the case?  In specific cases like this, the only way to live a brighter future is down.  By that, I mean down to the sea of lesser-known content releasing in theaters this weekend.  Aside from another horror movie that's been receiving rave reviews, this weekend is packed with smaller pieces of counter-programming to distract specific audiences until the holiday season.  One of them is the post-apocalyptic action thriller that sees the Falcon and Deadpool's girlfriend surviving against the creatures who are apparently not very good with heights.  Was the movie thrilling enough to make audiences want to travel down to see it, or were they safe on top of the mountainside?  Let's find out. 

The story follows a single father (Mackie) and his son (Danny Boyd Jr.).  They're some of the survivors residing on the mountaintop sanctuary three years after a group of mysterious creatures invade Earth.  However, the creatures couldn't travel past 8,000 feet for some reason.  When his son starts getting sick, the father must muster up the courage to venture beyond the safety of his home to retrieve supplies of oxygen for him.  Along with the scientist (Baccarin) and his trustworthy ally Katie (Hasson), he faces the impossible odds to ensure humanity's future. 

I first heard about this movie through its trailer, which I've seen a couple of times.  From the concept alone, it looked like something that would have gone straight to streaming but was released in theaters instead.  I guess we're in one of those moments when cinemas just decide to release whatever obscure counter-programming they want amid their sea of upcoming blockbusters.  However, its cast, including Anthony Mackie, and my thirst for sci-fi action were enough to make me consider my interest.  I was considering waiting to watch it until the weekend or until it was released on a streaming service, but my participation in the mystery movie showing made that choice for me.  At first, I thought I would be treated with "A Real Pain" earlier in advance, but instead, it was a small piece of counter-programming that's like "A Quiet Place" but with aliens that are scared of heights.  All I can say about this experience is that I wish it was "A Real Pain" instead.

"Elevation" has the makings of a riveting yet straightforward sci-fi thriller filled with nail-biting tension and alien action.  Unfortunately, the generic execution and mediocre writing failed to elevate beyond those ideas.  As a result, it became a surprisingly underwhelming and thrill-free post-apocalyptic expedition whose excitement went down as fast as the characters going down the mountain.  Upon further research, I realized that this is the second film I watched that was helmed by George Nolfi, with the first being 2016's "Birth of the Dragon".  Considering my displeasure from that Bruce Lee movie, this explains a lot.  I know that he also made two movies whose reviews were more generous than "Birth of the Dragon", but I didn't have enough interest to watch them.  At least, not yet.

That's not to say that George Nolfi didn't have some intention of making this concept work.  He's one of the filmmakers who tend to blend specific genres and touch light on philosophical and humane topics.  In "Elevation," the story blends post-apocalyptic action with deep human drama. Mackie's character, a father, is haunted by the tragic death of his wife while caring for his sick son. Meanwhile, Baccarin portrays a scientist desperately trying to discover the creatures' weaknesses, but her efforts endanger those around her. Ultimately, the film explores how the characters confront their tragic pasts to fight for a better future, all while facing the looming threat of these unknown creatures.  Nolfi certainly knows how to envision his outdoor sceneries and drama through its cinematography and scope, which I should credit him for.  However, regarding everything else, his genre blend lacked a much larger oomph in its thrills and emotion to coincide with this scale.  It certainly has a couple of action scenes that caught my attention, including the drone shot in its third act.  Sadly, they're constantly plagued by the lack of memorable characters and subpar scares to make them exciting or even terrifying.

The movie has an R rating, so surely I would be in for a violent and gory treat, right?  Well, not exactly.  It's R-rated, but it's only for language, despite the fact it has alien creatures that hunt people who travel below the intended elevation.  Of course, a post-apocalyptic thriller like this can work without any blood and guts spewing everywhere.  It's just a matter of handling the tension, frights, and mystery surrounding the unexplainable without someone shooting a gun at it.  Unfortunately, George Nolfi struggled to heighten any of these three elements, leaving me with one of the tamest and occasionally blandest R-rated films I've seen in my life.  The screenplay by John Glenn, Kenny Ryan, and Jacob Roman was also overshadowed by its formulaic genre elements, weak dialogue, and ideas that were either poorly executed or annoyingly absurd.  The prime example for the latter was its twist ending, which focused too much on teasing a sequel that'll likely never happen instead of providing a memorable story surrounding its themes.

The film did have a couple of merits that kept me from heading back up to the top, with one of them being the cast.  While they're far from spectacular, they at least made an effort to carry this 90-minute voyage with their performances.  Anthony Mackie stepped out of the Marvel comfort zone in favor of portraying a grieving father determined to rescue his son, and the result was decent at best.  I have been enjoying Mackie in some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe projects he's in, and I can't wait to see his take on Captain America in the upcoming sequel.  Still, regardless of the quality, his role in "Elevation" makes me want to see more of him outside that superhero franchise.  Morena Baccarin, who's also a part of Marvel due to her role as Vanessa in the "Deadpool" movies, also attempted to make her name outside the brand, and I thought she did all right as well.  Maddie Hasson was also an okay addition to the cast, even though her dialogue was a bit iffy regarding her attempt at humor.  As for the visual effects, I can only say that they're decent in bringing the lackluster creatures to life, and that's pretty much it.

Overall, "Elevation" fails to elevate beyond its generic premise and genre formula to stand out from the post-apocalyptic action crowd.  It certainly has the ingredients to make its straightforward sci-fi adventure worthwhile, especially with a pair of Marvel actors leading the charge.  Sadly, when combined with forgettable action scenes and lackluster drama, all I got was an unfulfilling dish of sci-fi mediocrity and tension-free absurdity.  With its subpar direction, bland thrills, straightforward screenplay, and a twist ending that's more sequel-baiting than rewarding, the film is better off staying above 8,000 feet where it belongs.  If you're still interested in watching it regardless, you're better off waiting until it's available to stream for free.  Otherwise, it's not worth journeying downward for.

D