During these difficult times, it can be good to reflect and realize that things could always be worse. We may be unable to leave the house without fear of infection, but at least we can still breathe the air.

In Seth Larney’s 2067, climate change and the extinction of plant life has led to the air becoming unbreathable, and the only breathable air is being created by careless corporations. This premise could tell a fascinating story about the endgame of capitalism but, instead, another corporation creates a machine which receives a message from four hundred years into the future, demanding help from one specific person – a man named Ethan Whyte (Kodi Smit-McPhee of the X-Men franchise) who becomes the earth’s last hope. Whyte, in turn, rushes into the unknown with the hope that he can save not only all of humanity, but also the sickly love of his life. If that plot synopsis sounds needlessly overdramatic, that’s because it is.

2067 actually looks quite good. As someone who is not a fan of naturalistic science fiction, Larney’s use of natural locations and plant life works quite well, likely owing to the talents of cinematographer Earle Dresner. Sadly, that is where the good news ends. 2067 takes a generic story and somehow ruins it with an unnecessary non-linear narrative, soap opera quality performances, pure melodramatic storytelling and, the biggest crime of all, a ridiculously overpowering score. Never before has this critic seen a film so desperate to let the audience know exactly how they should feel, seemingly forgetting that those feelings should be reached naturally, not with strings and keyboards. By the time the film begins to reach its conclusion, the music practically gives away the ending, which would be fascinating, if it was not so annoying.

With the narrative and music desperate to ruin the images, it might be best to watch this film on mute or pass on it altogether.

**********

Do You Tweet? Follow These Tweeple:

Shahbaz Khayambashi: @Shakhayam