Nightmare City 2035
Nightmare City 2035 is kind of a neat cross between the setting of Equilibrium and the gimmick of They Live. It is the future and of course there is a totalitarian government in charge. Like Equilibrium there are some rebels and the person in charge is corrupt and evil and the main character is a law enforcement officer who gets involved with the rebels. It turns out that not only are these government officials totalitarian and mean but they are also greedy. You see, apparently there was a war or something so civilization was largely ruined. Instead of rebuilding things, though, style, the government leaders have implanted everyone with chips that make them see the world around them as happy and shiny instead of the decaying ruin that it really is. As in They Live, the goal is to shut down the towers broadcasting the signals so that they can see the world as it really is.
It is a fairly solid concept but it just isn't executed very well They tell us right away that the world is a ruin but don't really show it to us in any detail. There is a nice moment where the male lead sees what he is really eating and a couple of quick shots of the city but that is about it.
The real downfall is the female lead and the lame backstory she is given. Apparently the actress is known mostly from her soap opera work and it shows. She is supposed to be this tough Milla Jovovich complete with the sleeveless belly shirt and photographer-style vest but her voice is really squeaky so it makes it hard for the listener to take her seriously. Then we find out that she has this bionic eye thing which lets her be a superhacker and we learn that she just happens to have a history with the person that invented the tech that makes people see what they want them to see.
two thumbs up
in the near future
shirts will no longer have sleeves.
Let's hope Gore is right
