There are tons of independent films that disappear on DVD shelves, or on VOD menys, that not many people notice or even remember. Even if i actually have seen a lot of independent films ( or should i say low budget films? ), there are films that i discover that i have never heard of or have not noticed before. I think one of the reasons are that there are so many low budget films released every year, and it is impossible to know all titles. Let´s just say that i see about 30 low budget movies in one year ( or more, depending on what films i am interested in ), and while i look for DVD releases i come across titles all the time that i had no idea existed. That way you may be lucky, and see a film that you can actually enjoy. There is a chance that there are some really bad ones as well, especially if you have bad luck. One of the films that i do remember, that turned out to be bad, is the 2011 found footage horror film The Amityville Haunting. A film that is inspired by the classic 1977 book known as The Amytville Horror, but if you have seen the 1979 film, i can tell you that The Amytville Haunting is just a cash grab, to try and make fans of that film interested. I am a fan of found footage horror, but The Amytville Haunting fails both as a horror film, and a found footage film. However, there are films that i have discovered by accident that turned out to be better than i expected, such as a film called Armstrong, released in 2017. A sci fi action film that is actually well made, considering the low budget from directors Kerry Carlock and Nicholas Lund-Ulrich. If you are a fan of independent sci fi films, check out Armstrong. I decided to go through a lot of low budget films titles, and just pick out a film i never heard of that looked interesting. And i came across a film called The Answer, released in 2015. I actually picked this film up from Germany on DVD ( for a good price as well ), just to check this film out. Since i am a big fan of low budget films, is The Answer a very positive surprise, or is there a good reason to why not many people have seen this film?
Bridd Cole ( Austin Hébert ) is an introverted man, who works at stock company as a mailroom associate. He have always been attracted to one of the women who works at the same company as him, a woman named Charlotte Parker ( Alexis Carra ). Luckily, she seems to be interested in him as well. But as they are about to go to his appartment, his appartment have been crashed completely. Someone seems to have broken in, looking for something. A strange masked man is still inside, as Bridd and Charlotte escape. Bridd have no idea why someone would search his appartment, until he remembers what his mother sent to him, a mysterious device.
There is something charming about independent sci fi films, that you can not deny. Most of these films have a limited budget, and to be able to pull this off in a positive way, you have to be able to deliver an interesting story and also have something for sci fi fans to appreciate. The Answer is definetely one of those films that will probably divide sci fi fans of independent films, depending on what you enjoy. What i personally appreciate about The Answer, is that this film tries to combine action with sci fi, and get away with it. What do i mean about that? Well, this film could have easily felt like a cheap attempt just to make a sci fi film, without any meaning. But instead this film manage to find a way, to combine a clever idea with an action story included. The device that main character Bridd Cole gets in his mail, turns out to be a very different kind of device. If he solves the pussles, he will get information that his dead mother left him on there. And this is where the film becomes sort of a sci fi version of the 1993 film The Fugitive, with a few other influences included. One detail i really appreciate are the blade weapons, that the bad guys with very strange helmet heads carry with them. They look like something that we might have seen in the 1998 film Blade with Wesley Snipes, but still have a different unique look. This is one of those details that proves that you can create cool things from a limited budget. What about the acting? I would definetely say that actress Alexis Carrera is one of the better actors in this film, as the character Charlotte Parker. A confident woman, who is not afraid to say what´s on her mind. Lead actor Austin Hébert is unfortunately not as strong as a lead actor, that i was hoping for. He is not terrible, but i wish he would have left a bigger impact. The bad guy role in this film is good though, from actor David S. Lee ( who i guarantee some of you remember from Black Panther ), playng the role of Leader. The Answer is a film that is worth checking out if you are a fan of independent sci fi action films, and if you can accept some flaws. Director Ibqual Ahmed have definetely managed to combine interesting ideas with this film, and manage to deliver a sci fi film that actually looks different from the mainstream releases. Not a future classic in any way, but worth picking up on DVD.
Rating: DDD
You can find The Answer for a great prize here on German DVD, in case you are curious to check out the film:
https://www.amazon.de/Answer-Who-am-I/dp/B074BNVCFF/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?keywords=the+answer+blu+ray&qid=1611008306&sr=8-7
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