Debug is a new scifi/horror movie from multi-talented actor/writer/director David Hewlett (probably best know to Geektowners as Stargate’s Dr. Rodney McKay). The film follows a group of young ‘hacker’ convicts as they are sent on a last minute mission to clear up the computer systems on an abandoned space freighter. Whilst working through the various viruses on the system, the group encounter the ships AI (Jason Momoa), who has gone rogue, and will do anything to make sure he’s not deactivated, and stop at nothing to feel human.
The set up of the film is not massively dissimilar to your average teen haunted house horror. Except in this case, it’s a spaceship ‘haunted’ by a rogue AI. As the clip above shows, the group are a mix of the usual ropes, frat boy, cheerleader, nice guy, comedian, loner girl etc… And the guy supposed to be charge of the merry band of misfits is clearly up to no good.
There are some nice touches with the direction, and I rather like the way the HUD displays are used to give a claustrophobic feel to the characters, and the space sequences work well. The performances from the young cast is solid, and Momoa is suitably menacing as the AI… and actually manages to keep his shirt on for the entire film. Sorry ladies. ;)
Although the film does have tension, I would have liked to have seen the horror ratcheted up more, and had it more of a gorefest than it was. There are some gruesome deaths in the film, but it all felt a little timid. It could have done with being darker, and pushed a little further, but overall, still an enjoyable watch.
Debug is released on Blu-ray
and DVD
from the 3rd November, 2014
