This psychological thriller was inspired by 12 Angry Men. Ending Explained.
Fifty people wake up standing in concentric circles on circular pads with a black dome in the centre. They soon discover that stepping off the pads causes them to die when the dome emits a beam at them. Every two minutes another of them dies at random, until the rest realise that they have the power to vote who dies next.
I came across this movie on Netflix and I really didn’t know what to expect. What we got was a look into humanity’s natural selfish desire to survive by any means necessary. We see how much people judge each other and use that judgement to determine another person’s worth.
All of the characters in the movie are typical archetypes of people of all races, ages and genders. The movie even limits the names, forcing us to differentiate these characters based on what they look like or their defining traits. It can make you feel uncomfortable at times if you’re not used to identifying people in this way. I don’t mind referring to the soldier or the cop since those are their professions, but when you are identifying people as the black guy, the Asian kid and the lesbian, it feels a bit wrong. Maybe it’s because I don’t think in those terms since to me they’re just people. I see what they were going for, though.
I think the lack of identities make us feel less sad about their deaths, with a few exceptions. The little girl and the pregnant woman brings out that nurturing and caring side that we have. I was genuinely shocked to see them there. Then there’s Julie Benz, who is possibly the only recognisable name there, at least to me anyway. We do get some brief backstories from some of the characters, but with most it’s not enough to affect the outcome.
This is the kind of movie that can spark hours of debates about what people are willing to do to save themselves and how selfish and judgemental we all are. It’s a clever movie. The sci-fi element, although serves as the reason they’re all there to begin with, isn’t as important to the overall film. It’s a look at human behaviour. Just like the aliens, we are watching how people make these choices and how their judgement can be clouded by prejudice and preconceived notions of people. It’s an interesting watch.
Where to watch: Justwatch
Linsey Loves Horror 