Netflix Dystopian Sci-Fi Thriller Is Disturbingly Close to Becoming Real
Netflix shows like Black Mirror have done a great job at creating a creepy and very-possible dystopian near-future. There’s now quite a bit of content in this particular genre, but not everything can be as thought-provoking or close to reality as the best episodes of Black Mirror. Anon, a Netflix original film, tries to evoke the fear of the near future reality and mostly fails at doing so, though it’s available to stream now if you want to check it out.
Anon
Anon on Netflix is directed and written by Andrew Niccol, who did a much more intriguing version of someone always watching when he wrote The Truman Show.
Instead of the existential and interesting concept of one man’s life being a reality show for the masses, Anon imagines a future where private memories are recorded and anonymity no longer exists. This leads to crime basically being non-existent too.
Good Concept, Bad Execution
Detective Sal Frieland (Clive Owen), who is investigating a series of murders, runs across a young woman (Amanda Seyfried) who has been erased from the government’s transparency system.
While the pitch of the film might be enough to sell you on it, most of the reviews indicate that Anon does nothing to make the most of its relatively intriguing concept. And while Clive Owen and Amanda Seyfried are great actors, they’re not given much to do in the film.
Reception
Currently, Anon holds an abysmal 37 percent from critics and an even worse 34 percent from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, making it hard to find too many people with anything good to say about the film.
Brian Eggert from Deep Focus Review only complimented the concept of the film, saying “Neat ideas aside, the antiseptic quality of Anon, including predictable plot machinations, leaves the experience emotionally vacant.” While the movie can draw you in on paper, it sounds like there’s not much to latch on to for characters or storytelling.
Stylish, But Not Enough
Ross Miller from The National liked Anon well enough, saying, “There’s enough bandwidth in the compelling, stylishly visualized concept to sustain it.” That’s not exactly high praise, but Miller’s review is one of the few positive reviews in a sea of negative ones.
If stylish visuals are one of the only redeeming aspects of the movie, it might not be enough to get you to dedicate the time to watch it on Netflix when there are better options out there.
Bad Writing
Taylor Antrim from Vogue didn’t mince words when reviewing Vogue, saying it, “has a harebrained plot, scene after scene of actors staring blankly into space (scrolling through their enhanced vision), zero romantic chemistry between the two leads, and a twist of an ending that makes you shrug.”
In these kinds of movies, sometimes a really clever twist can redeem the lesser aspects of the film, but according to Antrim, the twist isn’t even worth the price of admission, or the price of streaming in the case of Anon on Netflix. The picture Antrim paints also makes it seem like a pretty boring film.
Finally, Matthew Bond from the Daily Mail UK did echo Miller’s comments of the movie being stylish, but didn’t have anything good to say about the rest of the film. Bond said, “An undeniably stylish-looking film noir but is hampered by an overworked screenplay.”
Pretty much none of the reviews said the screenplay is good, which is shame considering how good Niccol’s projects can be.
