TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Beulah Bram A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

vchimpanzee Reese is the new kid at school. It probably doesn't help that his father is the new chemistry teacher. But he also dresses in black and wears makeup--though I've seen far worse. Reese's dad makes a comment about how things will likely be better at this school. Well, that isn't going to be the case.Reese gets picked on more than most outcast teens I've seen in movies or on TV, but he does make friends. Zack is sort of a nerd, and his sister Ashley is an angry but sarcastic rebel. Phoebe is a new-age type who is allergic to most foods--and wool (but who eats wool?).Zack has discovered a portal in the woods on the side of a mountain, and he has recorded his observations and calculations on his laptop computer. He believes if the energy (which he describes as fusion) could be harnessed, we would no longer be dependent on fossil fuels.But the teens try something different. They discover that by stepping inside the field surrounding the portal, each one gets a different super power. Zack can read minds, Phoebe can move objects (in "Carrie" this was called telekinesis), and Ashley can persuade others to do whatever she says--provided the other person is not strong-willed enough to resist. Reese's power is harder to figure out--it turns out to be the ability to heal. The powers don't last but a few days, so periodic recharging is necessary.At first, the teens' new abilities provide comedy relief as well as a fantasy for anyone who was ever mistreated (or even perceived themselves as being mistreated) in school, by students or faculty. But Moss, who has been working with Zack on studying the portal, warns Zack that these powers could be dangerous. Moss is right.This was not that bad a movie. But one sign it wasn't great: actors with one line delivered that line with all the enthusiasm that one line deserves. In fact, in really good movies, a single line can be delivered so well that the performance is memorable.The four lead actors did a good job at least some of the time. Melissa Martin did the best as the rebellious and sarcastic Ashley.The dress and behavior of these lead performers did not fit stereotypes (of course, Ashley's actions went beyond the usual even before she received her abilities). None of them would have been perceived as weird-looking if we hadn't been told they were supposed to be. This is good in that the movie didn't resort to the device of making the characters extreme examples of a certain personality type. Zack wasn't a Steve Urkel, even if he seemed to have Steve's intelligence. In fact, his grades weren't that good.The music, if you can call it that, usually managed to be quite loud. It was alternative rock and high-tech dance music, for the most part. Most of it wasn't as unnerving as what was used for the opening and closing credits--this would probably appeal to teens like Reese. It all sounds like garbage to me, but somehow I got the impression it might be considered quality stuff. Certainly the dance music wasn't of the Britney Spears/Hilary Duff variety. More like dark basements in the bad section of town with flashing lights at 2 in the morning. I did like the polka music in one scene where someone was trying to bring Ashley under control.I'm not hard to please when it comes to visual effects. Bright colored cloud effects and fast movement seemed to be enough here. Nothing ground-breaking. And of course each teen's eyes glowed in a weird color as each power was used.Surprisingly, this film had little real violence. We were constantly subjected to rapid-fire editing of some flashback of a bloody event in Reese's past which might explain his behavior. And we also saw the aftermath of an event in the movie itself.The best thing I can say is that for mistreated teens, this film represents a fantasy, but it also shows consequences.

Matthew All in all this film is not as tripe as i had first thought. Being a big fan of "The Craft" i saw this VHS sitting in my friends bedroom and asked to borrow it. thinking it might follow along the same lines as the Craft. but i really didn't. it has its own unique story line, and a good selection of cast. This film is a proper teen movie, with OK sfx and not a bad story line. The acting from time to time is a bit canned and not very expressive but if you look past this, you will see that this film has great potential. i wouldn't recommend watching this if your really expecting something fantastic, but if your a little boerd and fancy watching something a little supernatural then go ahead and rent/buy this, you shouldn't be to disappointed.

ereh9 Don't bother getting this movie, it's utterly pointless. The only reason I got it was because it had David Anders who plays Mr. Julian Sark on Alias. He isn't in the movie for more than 5 minutes, and that's 5 minutes in several different scenes. The movie's main concept is that a group of 4 teenage outcasts; Reese (Goth Boy), Zach (Rich nerd), Ashley (Rich nerd's slut sister who is secretly rotten to the core or "the source"), and Phoebe (flower child reject.) Is it just me or all flowery children named Phoebe? Nevermind. Anyways, they get a little power hungry and Ashley goes ape, turning the school into an evil nightmarish hell zone where the reject teenage outcast's former tormentors become her sex slaves. So I guess it's all yay in Ashley's view but not very fun for everyone else.For everyone who is seeing this for David Anders and I assume the majority of you are then...He plays Boogi (aptly named so too) who basically walks around and leers in the background wearing funny trousers. He DOES have a few minutes of interview time on the DVD but it is so NOT WORTH IT. Don't bother.There are a few disturbing sequences where Reese has dreams about blood in the bathroom and we see that his mom slit her wrists in the bathroom.So yeah, don't bother. BAD SCI-FI effects warning too.-Erica

yank_soto I am on a roll. It seems like every movie I see lately is total trash! Not trash in a good sense, I mean bottom of the barrel, "why did this crap even get made" kind of trash.This movie almost makes some of the other garbage films I've seen lately look good but then again, maybe not. Garbage movies are garbage movies and this, this thing is pathetic!It's not a camcorder special. Not a backyard home video like Nikos, Shatter Dead or Maplewoods. This piece of junk is actually shot on film and had somewhat of a budget, not a huge budget but more then the backyard epic b-films.The acting in this movie is HORRID!!!!!!! The acting is so bad that it makes one of those old 70's kung fu movie look awesome! It's that bad! How did these people get jobs as actors?! How did the director get this film made?! The special effects, these are so bad that they almost need to be seen to be believed! There's just no way to get across how inept this movie is. It's almost a joke.My question is. Is it this easy to go out and make a movie? Well judging from this and the other garbage I've been seeing lately, it obviously is!