Metamorphosis

There are a lot of movies out there with the designation “Metamorphosis.” When I went to look it up I had a hard time finding the right one. The one I'm talking about in this review was released in 1990 directed by George Eastman and starring Gene LeBrock.

The story is typical in a lot of ways, but it centers around a geneticist who thinks he is on the verge of cracking the secret of aging in the body. If successful he could grant virtual immortality to mankind. When squeezed for results he tries the experiment on himself before it's actually ready. The results include an unexpected heightening of aggression that leads Dr. Houseman to carry out violent deeds without memory of them. As his body continues to change he must find a cure before it's too late, but his fellow scientists are blocking his lab access and therefore preventing him from curing himself.

The movie shows some promise initially as it builds some suspense in a Jekyll and Hyde type story. The good Dr. Houseman finds evidence that after his experiments on himself he did something horrible that he can't remember, and he begins tracking down clues. The mystery of this and the doctor's journey to discover the truth are pretty good initially. As the movie moves towards it's monstrous end, though, it becomes more and more convoluted and illogical.

The movie attempts to lend justification and explanation to its premise, but can't deliver. The evolutionary logic is weak. Human overpopulation due to immortality (as a potential side-effect of Houseman's supposed discovery) is briefly mentioned but never deeply explored, yet according to the logic used at the end even starvation due to the lack of food wouldn't be fatal under the effects of Houseman's treatment. The ideas seem haphazardly thrown at us trying to sound interesting but without ever actually making sense.

The movie tries to surprise the viewer by skipping events and then showing us the aftermath later on. While this works with the doctor's initial mysterious violent outburst, in other instances it fails to fill in the gaps well which weakens the story. Another weakness is the cheesiness of the ending. The director should have played up the tragedy and suspense more than the hysterics. Instead of gripping or emotional it becomes goofy.

There are other problems such as the annoyance of the heroine's screaming which is overdone. The editing overall could be a lot better especially at the beginning where dialogue is poorly intercut with a basketball game. The score is stereotypical 80's synth and far less than impressive.

On the positive side is some decent acting. I rather like the guy playing the lead (LeBrock), and some of the other supporting roles are fair although nobody in the cast is remotely familiar to me. Some of the monstrous visuals are not bad though some, particularly at the end, lack.

MORALITY:

There is some violence throughout, a lot of it bloody and moderately graphic.

There are a few nude scenes though mostly just quick flashes of breasts. One is sexual and at least one is violent.

There is some strong language though not a great deal.

SPIRITUALITY:

Dr. Houseman is trying to find a path to immortality that bypasses God. We all put our faith in something. For some it's God, for others it's science, or history, or, heaven forbid, random stuff they read on the internet. God promises eternal life, science cannot. This illustration displays the desire to achieve God's promises while bypassing the spiritual component. The result, of course, is disaster.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

There are some OK moments in the film, but as a whole it turns out to be unimpressive. Check it out if you run across it, but don't put any effort into finding it.

#Metamorphosis