Beyond

source: Beyond

BEYOND is a supernatural thriller / police procedural film set in Alaska. When a little girl goes missing, the police bring in an expert in such cases (Jon Voight). Things get interesting when a radio / TV psychic gets involved. Unexplainable events occur indicating possible paranormal activity. While the story is decent, what makes this movie watchable is Voight. He soars above the material. Otherwise, it would be just another run-of-the-mill, PG-13 spooker...

Seven year old Amy (Chloe Lesslie) goes missing from her room. The film makes you believe you are watching "Poltergeist" but then shifts gears to a crime/drama mystery...except it keeps coming back to that Poltergeist thing. The ransom note wants 2 million dollars. The main characters: John (Jon Voight) is the main investigating police officer. He is near retirement. He has a haunting dream of a past case. Jim (Ben Crowley) is the "shallow" father. He had an affair. He was a former prosecutor who put a lot of people in jail. His main suspect died 3 years ago in prison. Sarah (Teri Polo) is the mother. She has recently filed for divorce and doesn't trust Jim or the babysitter. Her brother Jack (Dermot Mulroney) is the chief of police and John's boss. He has financial problems. Meagan (Skyler Shaye) is the babysitter who was very close to Amy. She lied about being home when Amy was kidnapped, although her alibi checks out as she was in a bar with... Farley (Julian Morris) is a TV psychic and friend of Amy. He has visions of Amy, but he is not as convincing as Zelda Rubinstein, but then who is?. He butts into the investigation. The kidnapper also seems to have access to the house as if it was an inside job. There are plenty of suspects as well as the supernatural aspect. The film is a fairly decent B thriller, although there was room for improvement as the actors pretty much just read their lines. The film appears to be low budget with not much action. PARENTAL GUIDE: No sex or nudity, or F-bombs that I recall.

Haunted by a case from his past an Alaskan detective due for retirement must find a kidnapped girl and reluctantly enlists the help of a psychic who is also a prime-suspect. It's nice to see John Voight in a lead role where he belongs instead of a supporting cast player. Voight effortlessly carries the film on has shoulders. Director Josef Rusnak's Beyond while not as atmospheric as Insomnia (2002) or as stylish as his own Thirteenth Floor (1999) presents an entertaining mystery/thriller with a psychic element. The supporting cast are a mixed bag (some oddly misplaced and awful) but thankfully Jodie Foster-like Teri Polo and Dermot Mulroney as Jack Musker are reliable and solid. It's well filmed, competently put together with writer Gregory Gierasa putting forward an interesting premise, even if it loses it gust slightly in the closing act especially in the reveal. Nevertheless, its satisfying enough thanks to Voight's principle role as Jon Koski.

If you enjoy interesting locations, want to feel like you've been to Alaska, and appreciate uncomplicated mysteries with good actors, give Beyond a peek. The direction and script could have been better. Veteran John Voight carries the story. There's enough drama to keep you guessing, even if you think you know the end. I loved seeing the chilliness of Alaska on a hot summer night. Many of the scenes were too dark to see well. I expected more emotion from the parents and thought the babysitter character could have either been left out or developed more. It's better than reality TV, but not a film you will remember.

Rarely will you see a movie based on a kidnapping plot devoid of thrills, tension or excitement such as Beyond. The music score again has been transplanted in from another movie. Credit to the well known actors/actress (Voight, Mulrooney and Polo) for making an effort. Their performances contrast sharply with the support cast who are appalling.But Alaska looks good. Clichés abound. Voight plays a veteran cop close to retirement, who is plagued by memories of a case gone wrong in his past from which he keeps photographs in a tin. Then there is the physic angle. Messages from the past helping to solve the cases. Everyone could be a suspect , the family, the cop, the psychic, the babysitter- oh who could it be. Who cares. At one stage Voight stops Polo from touching a hand rail to check it for prints but then lets the world and its dog handle the ransom letter from the kidnapper. When the ransom is to be delivered somehow only Voight manages not to lose the car in pursuit. Good old Jon always gets there ahead of the pack in this movie. Director Rusnak gained some credit for The Thirteenth Floor which bizarrely got name checked with the out of its league The Matrix due to having a virtual world plot line. He went on to direct a couple of Wesley Snipes straight to video turkeys and a lamentable remake of 70's schlocker Its Alive. In other words the directors resume says it all.

It's hard to pull off a good supernatural thriller these days. Every possible angle has already been exploited hundreds of times. All you can hope for as a writer or director of this type of film is that your story is compelling and endearing enough to keep the audience's attention for 90 minutes to two hours. Filmmakers have to hope that the one or two "twist" or "surprise" endings they decide to utilize out of the five dozen already used will fit convincingly with the rest of the tale. All that being said, "Beyond" has an uphill battle to fight from the very beginning. Add to the struggle the extremely unoriginal title of the film and you have something most consumers and renters will walk by without even giving a second glance. Although it isn't anything new, the movie does hold its own and delivers a little intrigue and entertainment. "Beyond" isn't going to make anyone want to rush out and scoop it up in the stores right away. It's one of those movies you either rent from Redbox or buy while digging through the $5 DVD box at Walmart on a Saturday afternoon. If you're a fan of supernatural / psychological thrillers, this does hold up better than your typical Lifetime made-for- TV movie.

The premise of this movie is pretty standard, the typical case of missing children and the psychic that see things and want to help the current cop in the case. At the same time, it is pretty standard that the cop has a relation to the missing child case since he couldn't resolve his a long time ago. I am not stating something very crucial, since the movie is pretty obvious from start to end. I am sorry to say, but, timing is not handled OK in this movie which leads us viewers to guess the ending miles ahead of it's time. If you're smart, you will find out pretty much everything in the middle of the movie, which is not a good sign for a creepy ghost/suspense/thriller. Musician tried his best with the music based on the pretty linear script, visuals on this movie on the other hand are not good, there is no suspense whatsoever and even on the creepy parts, we found out that nothing is really happening on screen, we just know it "should" be a creepy part by the music, it's like the director didn't follow the musician's enthusiasm and left there all by himself! Also, the movie doesn't take the topic very seriously, psychic powers i mean, since it is poorly handled and the creepy parts feels so rushed that just don't work on screen. John Voight is the only actor who takes this movie seriously, the rest, sorry but they don't do a good job, not credible at least. Don't get me wrong, this is not a horrible movie, it doesn't have inappropriate parts, it doesn't have violence nor bad language at all, it's very respectful of the viewer but, it just end up not being enough to save it from it's own demise. A creepy movie that doesn't scare is not a good movie. Almost fair movie, see it on cable if you don't have anything else to see, but don't have high expectations on it.

After a seven-year-old with an 'imaginary' friend gets kidnapped, it's put high on the rader since she's the police chief's niece. So Detective John (Jon Voight),who's wrestling with demons from his past, reluctantly teams up with a TV physic, whom has wormed himself into the investigation, to find her. This movie is only marginally watchable because of Voight. Everything else about the film is decidedly sub-par, be it the awful acting or the easily predictable plot 'twists'. I found myself glancing at my watch multiple times (never a good sign) My Grade: C-

A seven-year-old girl named Amy is kidnapped in the night . The mother named Sarah (Teri Polo) asks for help a radio-man with psychic powers who says to have seen her alive . The police chief (Dermot Mulroney) who is the victim's uncle assigns the case a veteran detective from Anchorage Police Department . The old , semi-retired , Inspector named John Koski (John Voight) teams with the tabloid psychic (Julian Morris) who has weird visions , both of whom to track down the missing child . Just then send a note asking an important rescue . Thrilling film that packs intrigue , strange events and plot twists. Suspense movie whose starring is the beautiful U.S. actress Teri Polo, best known for her wife role to Ben Stiller in the saga that began with 'Meet the Fockers' , however the actual protagonist is John Voight as an almost-retired detective who holds a dark past . Some scenes were predictable , but for the most part , it is a nicely-paced story with some passable intrigue and mystery . This direct to video titled 'Beyond' was filmed on location in Anchorage , Alaska and is the work by German filmmaker Josef Rusnak . He began working as a director in his native country with enough success up to U.S. co-productions filmed in English . Rusnak has developed his career mainly in the genres of suspense and terror as 'It's alive' , but also has his touches of science fiction as 'Level 13' at his best , drama as 'Valerie' , 'Quiet days in Hollywood' and action with two Wesley Snipes vehicles as 'The contractor' and 'Art of war 2' . Rating ¨Beyond¨ : Average , 5 .