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Improvised Dialogue=People talking over one another=incoherence=audience irritation


Quantum decoherence and the many-worlds interpretation that accompanies it is a fun subject to tackle in science fiction. Unfortunately, this is not the movie to watch if you crave an exciting narrative to go along with it. In writing fiction, the first rule is "Show, don't tell." This is especially true of screenplays. But because this movie had an uber cheap budget, they had to spend the majority of the movie talking about interesting ideas rather than showing us. Also bad, out of focus camera work, improvised dialogue which included annoying people talking over one another the entire time and a contrived plot/conflict.

It's all well and good to have one character, Mike, who has a drinking problem and such hostility toward himself that he assumes that his Doppelganger will try to kill him. But why are all the other characters in this film so paranoid and on edge from the beginning? They're a bunch of self-absorbed yuppies, not escaped murderers from a maximum-security prison.

You're at a dinner party, there's a power outage so the lights go out, and then there's a knock at the door so. . . you startle as if they threw a rock through your window? And then grab a baseball bat before answering? This seems odd, especially when two members of your party have just left to go investigate the house up the street with the intention of asking to use the phone. If it were me, I'd just assume that someone was probably coming to my door to ask the very same thing.

And once these characters figure out that reality has fractured and that there are duplicates of themselves from another reality running around--I still don't understand what they're so afraid of. I mean, obviously, that would be a freaky and unsettling situation. But once your doppelganger has demonstrated, by leaving exactly the same note that you wrote on your front door, that he behaves exactly as you do, wouldn't you at least be somewhat curious to meet him or her? Most of these characters seemed reasonably intelligent and rational. Why should they be so automatically fearful of these alternative selves--even after they've accidentally spent time with them and found them to be benign.

I think the writer needed a stronger trigger for all the fear and hostility.

If you like the subject matter and want to see people talk about it, search for lectures on youtube. If you want good sci-fi that deals with the theory, check out Fringe or even The Twilight Zone.

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You're at a dinner party, there's a power outage so the lights go out, and then there's a knock at the door so. . . you startle as if they threw a rock through your window? And then grab a baseball bat before answering? This seems odd, especially when two members of your party have just left to go investigate the house up the street with the intention of asking to use the phone. If it were me, I'd just assume that someone was probably coming to my door to ask the very same thing.[/quote]

I'll give you that one. They definitely overreacted to a knock on the door. I think that may have to do with the director and his cues or lack thereof to the cast when they arrived. Some other posts and reading on the movie suggest he wanted them to feel a bit weirded out or blind to what was going on entirely, if I recall correctly.

[quote]And once these characters figure out that reality has fractured and that there are duplicates of themselves from another reality running around--I still don't understand what they're so afraid of. I mean, obviously, that would be a freaky and unsettling situation. But once your doppelganger has demonstrated, by leaving exactly the same note that you wrote on your front door, that he behaves exactly as you do, wouldn't you at least be somewhat curious to meet him or her?


Hell no. That is the exact time to act freaked out. I don't want to run into my exact clone. Literally everything you understand about reality has just been completely wiped away... no one will act casually in that situation. If there is a time for fear and overreactions, it is then.

I'll agree that some angles of shots were a bit funky, but overall I really enjoyed the movie. I wasn't irritated by the disorganized communication or the plot. Overall it was an entertaining idea, had my household guessing different pathways, playing along the entire time. It's a decent science fiction movie that gets the job done on a lower budget without the frills.

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Just re-watched it... and... damn, it is still a mind f#$k movie... I love it.
And I agree with "bethernie" plus...

I still don't understand what they're so afraid of. I mean, obviously, that would be a freaky and unsettling situation. But once your doppelganger has demonstrated, by leaving exactly the same note that you wrote on your front door, that he behaves exactly as you do, wouldn't you at least be somewhat curious to meet him or her? Most of these characters seemed reasonably intelligent and rational.


You still didn't grasp the idea of the infinite possibilities.
Just imagine, you are there, and analyzing the situation, a thought has crossed your mind... "what if I killed the other guys to stop them from interfering with my reality"... you shake it off, cause it isn't you, and you never act upon such a silly thought, but then you realize, that that means one version of you did act upon it. Hey sure let's meet my other self, and even to this point everything was the same, but then you just might meet your other self who just realized you want to kill him, and again it influences your reaction...
I really can't put in words, that would express my thoughts, but keep in mind... if you're there, bad thoughts will keep compiling, and in your head will get worse and worse...

Myself I don't believe in multiple reality theory. :)
(but what if my other self does) he he he...
cheers.

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