Entertainingly Average
Summary
There isn’t anything remarkable about Elevation, but I have a soft spot for these kinds of movies and I like the cast too. It’s a quick 90 minutes with plenty of action and decent effects. It feels like a streaming movie in terms of scale and will be forgotten within months, but it’s enjoyable while it lasts.
Plot: Post-apocalyptic survivors find refuge in the Rocky Mountains to hide from giant, insect-like creatures that can’t live above 8,000 feet. However, when one of them needs life-saving supplies, they risk it all to venture into the danger zone.
Review: Ever since COVID post-apocalyptic movies seem to be a dime a dozen on streaming and I’m here for it; I’ve always found them appealing and I’m not sure why.
Elevation stars Anthony Mackie, Maddie Hasson and Morena Baccarin as a group of survivors who have to leave the safety of their mountain refuge to get medicine for Will’s (Mackie) son.
I like how this movie sets up the story within a matter seconds in the opening, wasting no time in getting going. Some creatures wake up from underground after thousands of years and destroy 95% of mankind; for reasons never explained the creatures can’t go above 8000 feet, so what’s left of humanity live in the mountains.
It’s a cool concept and feels a little like A Quiet Place although not quite as tense; it has its moments though and it’s a well-paced 90 minutes.
The performances all round are solid and I do like Anthony Mackie as he has that everyman appeal. Morena Baccarin steals the show however, as Nina who Will blame’s for his wife’s death. They have a complicated relationship which makes this more interesting than it could have been.
The creatures themselves are pretty generic and we never get a proper look at them, so they aren’t especially memorable.
On the action front we get some explosions and shoot-outs which keeps things moving; it could have done with some more kills and gore.
Although there isn’t a main theme I did like the music score which added to the tension and excitement of the action scenes.
There is a mid-credits scene which teases a potential sequel and for once, I hope we get one as I feel like this is just the beginning of a bigger story.
Overall, Elevation isn’t anything new, but it has decent performances and I liked the characters; it’s quite tense and has enough action to make for an easy if forgettable 90 minutes.