The Mind’s Eye
Director: Joe Begos
Cast: Graham Skipper, Lauren Ashley Carter, John Speredakos
Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons
You know, when everyone says something, sometimes it’s the true. The one thing I kept hearing about this movie before seeing it is that it was the best sequel to David Cronenberg’s 1981 psychic horror masterpiece, Scanners, that we never got. It even says that on the Blu-ray cover. Now that’s not too surprising, as that’s what writer/director Joe Begos seems to do: obvious homages to the movies he loves. His previous movie, 2013’s Almost Human, was equal parts John Carpenter’s The Thing and (big surprise) David Cronenberg’s The Fly. It was a fine flick, but it didn’t blow me away. So how does this return to Cronenberg’s playground stack up to that, the original it’s riffing on, and all the official sequels? Well come with me, try not to get your head exploded, and let’s find out.
Zack Connors is a lone wander with massive telekinetic powers who gets put into an institute for others with these gifts. This out of the way facility is overseen by Dr. Slovak, who has his own agenda, and it’s not helping others out. He’s using this place to steal the psychic abilities from those in his care so he can be the most powerful person on the planet. Zack isn’t down for that, especially not when his estranged girlfriend is also at the not tender mercies of the good bad doctor. The two make a run for it while Dr. Slovak’s thugs come after them. This leads to a mind-bending, head-exploding finale between Connors and Slovak.
That’s about it for the story, so yeah, it’s about what you think it is. That said, the direction is good, and the cinematography is very good, with bright, vivid colors that conjures up shades of Argento — that’s always a plus. The soundtrack is also another highlight with the now familiar retro synth sound that’s all the rage these days. The special effects, while done on a budget, are well done and sufficiently splatterific. As for the acting, well that’s a mixed bag. Sometimes our hero is okay, other times he’s less than okay. The doctor in the movie is a bit too much of a bug-eyed scenery-chewer, but I can forgive him that, a little, since he is the villain. Zack’s love, played by Lauren Ashley Carter (of Jugface, Darling, The Woman and more) is the best actor here by far, but she doesn’t get a ton of screen time. Also, look for an extended cameo by Larry Fessenden — he’s always a hoot to watch.
So let’s take a look at the extras on this new Blu-ray from Image Entertainment. There is a commentary track with writer/director Joe Begos and a second commentary with the producers, which also includes Begos. There is a 28 minute making-of featurette with interviews of many of the cast and crew. A poster gallery and a trailer round out the extras. So yeah, there are more extras on here than the last half dozen Blu-rays I’ve watched from the big production companies, so good on the little guy for going the extra mile with their release.
The Mind’s Eye is for fans of Scanners, as it is practically the same movie. No, it’s not as good as the Cronenberg classic, but it’s not horrible either. If you want to see super psychics making people die real bloody while constantly making constipation face, this movie will do that for you. It is fun, action packed, and moves at a brisk pace. It gets a recommendation from me.
