Film Review: 'The Generator'

Leander (Wesley Forke) is more than grateful to be a part of something truly groundbreaking. After being saved from a life on the streets by scientist Max Bernholm (Tommie Grabiec), Leander has gone on to be the leader of the subjects used for Max's state-of-the-art technological venture: The Generator, which is being used to recreate experiences that clients of the program couldn't otherwise have. Maintaining close ties with both Max and his fellow subjects, and pursuing a relationship with Max's loyal assistant Natalia (Monica Wadwa), things have progressed well regarding the project.

But soon, it becomes clear that for all the magnificent work The Generator is doing, a sinister side exists to Max's plans. After the sudden death of one of the test subjects, Leander and Natalia come to realize that their beloved boss has gone off the deep end with his research—and has little qualms about people dying for the sake of The Generator. Teaming up with fellow employee Eliezer (Joshua Jameson), Leander and Natalia must fight to halt Max's agenda before it's too late to stop him.

As I went into The Generator, it already had two strong points in its favor for me: its intriguing premise of life-changing technology becoming a tool of destruction, and as the film began, its sleek presentation for an indie film. The titular technology and the special effects used to illustrate the emotionally vivid effects it has on its users, while generally simplistic and occasionally not as sleek as it could've been made (see some of the effects used in the film's opening), The Generator boasts overall appealing visual effects for its technology that both break indie film expectations and allow the Generator technology to simultaneously appear with captivating allure and understated malice.

Plot, however, is where The Generator's faults are most visible. With such a creatively packed and vast film premise, maintaining coherency is essential to keep such a film enjoyable, and The Generator hits more than a few snags in this regard. While the general mechanics and purpose behind the titular technology is easy to grasp, the later use of that same brand of technology by the protagonists to combat Max is explained in muddled terms, leaving the audience mostly in the dark on what's being done. This problem manifests most strongly in the film's ending, with the emotionally charged climax taking a hit as a result of being attached to an ending that will have the audience confused as to what has happened and how they should feel about it.

WARNING: Spoilers Below

The film also fails to truly explain the depths of Max's plans for his work and what is motivating his actions, which become increasingly violent as the film progresses. While a lot of what Max does can be chocked up to him becoming unhinged as a result of his arrogant God-complex and blinding ambition, his acts of having his test subjects (who he needs to operate The Generator) fight each other to the death, as well as later having one of the Generator's users kill three other users. This comes off as counterintuitive for a man so obsessed with perfecting the technology he created. With Max's lunacy being so tied to his drive to protect his business, having him so flagrantly endanger that work without reasonable explanation is a very notable mistake.

Spoilers Over

The Generator's weaker plot elements are made up for by the solid cast behind it, with Wesley Forke making Leander a likable protagonist who shares a strong chemistry with his leading lady Monica Wadwa. Wadwa, for her own part, plays Natalia's shift from loyal assistant to courageous woman willing to fight to stop her mad boss's schemes on an emotional level, making Natalia sympathetic, as well as fierce, to watch in action. Joshua Jameson is similarly strong as morally conflicted scientist Eliezer, and Jane Hayward is exquisite in her emotional scene as paralyzed Generator client Mona.

The title of Powerhouse Performance, however, would definitely go to Tommie Grabiec as technological pioneer turned deranged scientist Max Bernholm. With his pale complexion and piercing eyes, Grabiec has the perfect look for Max, with his acting chops aligning with that perfectly. From his first scenes, which include a flashback of him approaching the then young and homeless Leander with the chance to join his work, Grabiec allows the viewer to feel a palpable dark side lurking beneath Max's seemingly benevolent front. This not only keeps in line with The Generator's deliberate pace, that keeps the viewer in suspense as to when things will start to unravel, but makes Max's ultimate devolution into psychosis believable and not an abrupt shift.

And yet, for all of Max's callous and arrogant decisions, and deluded ramblings, Grabiec and the script allows for a sliver of humanity to remain in Max to keep him from becoming a paint-by-numbers "Mad Scientist" archetype. Despite the incredibly amoral and dangerous methods Max begins to employ in his work, The Generator takes the time to show that The Generator is indeed a marvelous piece of technology, capable of doing great good for the world (as brilliantly displayed during Mona's scene of using The Generator).

Additionally, throughout the film, it becomes clear that Max's delusional rants of grandeur come from a twisted authenticity; one supported by the genuine reality that his technology IS doing the world good. While Max undoubtedly crosses the line and (as mentioned in the Spoiler section) delves into the standard Mad Scientist tropes as the film progresses with little justification, the film's opening acts provide a twinge of depth to a character who could've easily become stale if not for the solid writing and an excellent actor portraying him.

While The Generator suffers from having a plot that becomes confusing and outright illogical in places, its solid pacing, compelling premise, and excellent acting more than make up for its story faults. From a strong main cast of protagonists who are easy to like to a marvelously insane villain you feel a slight understanding for, everyone gives their performances strength, which adds to the emotionally driven nature of the plot that will keep viewers glued to their seats. It's far from perfect and is of a style of pacing that will inherently turn some away; but for what it brings to the table, The Generator remains a solid recommendation.

Score: 7 out of 10 jogging simulations.