Subterranea

In 1997 IQ, a British progressive rock band released a double album called Subterranea.  It’s one of those gimmick, no offence, albums where the entire playlist tells a story.  Styx, King Diamond, and others have done this in the past.  However this was slightly different in the fact it is actually good.  It tells a freaky Sci fi tale of “The Captive”  Now we flash forward to 2015 and Director Matthew Miller had made a feature length film adapting this album.

It the story of, like I said “The Captive”  a man who was raised in complete isolation.  He lives in a dungeon like room and has never seem anything.  No people, no lights, nothing. The only person he knows is a white light known as the Provider.  One day he cell opens and he is let out.  Never knowing why.  He merely ventures out into the world and is immediately bombarded with all the lights and sounds of the world.  Which basically gives him a quick sensory overload.  He meets a girl who try to help him discover who he is and where he has been. There’s only one slight problem.  He’s being followed by some type of agents who are tracking his every move.  When he learns of this he decides he must find his Provider, find out who he is and kill him.

I know I am going to get some grief for this because it’s based off an album, but think Oldboy only in more of a Sci Fi version.  Because believe me even though they are different the basic plot does kind of remain the same, at least in my humble opinion.  And no that’s not a knock, Oldboy is a Hell of a film, and So is this.

Let really look at what has happened here.  Matthew Miller was album to take an album, and translate it into film, and not a crappy film like Kiss Meets The Phantom of the Park, but a real film.  The acting in this is Amazing.  Former Child actor Bug Hall, who is amazing in this role.  He plays his part of scared and confused, to out for revenge killer to perfection.  The lighting, the score, which yes does have the tracks off IQ’s album works marvelously.  The pacing, camera shots, everything is timed to complete perfection.

Its common knowledge I am not a Sci Fi guy, hell I hate Star Wars for God’s sake.  I've always said I can count the sci fi films I like on my hands with fingers left over.  I still can.  However I will say its one finger less now as I really enjoyed this film.  And I would in fact recommend it to both Sci Fi, and no Sci Fi fans alike.

Overall 3 out of 5 Stars.