THE LAZARUS EFFECT
Starring Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde
Directed by David Gelb
“This is too much weird shit,” blurts out one of the maverick medical researchers in this latest cautionary tale about playing god. If only that was the case.
In actual fact, the only thing remotely odd is the calibre of talent involved. In front of the camera are DIY maven Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde (coming off impressive turns in Her and Drinking Buddies) and Community graduate Donald Glover. Meanwhile, documentarian David Gelb (Jiro Dreams of Sushi) handles directing duties.
Alas, the intrigue inspired by this seemingly enviable line-up is snuffed out once it becomes apparent that this is just another bland tale about supposedly smart people doing exceptionally stupid things.
Frank (Duplass) and Zoe (Wilde) head a small team who are buried in a suitably dingy subbasement and endeavouring to bring the dead back to life. When they finally succeed with a dog, do they pen the zombie canine to allow for further observation? Hell no. Instead, it's brought back to their home where it looms over them while they sleep. Given such suspect decision-making, it’s hardly surprising that when Zoe – who, for someone so skittish, spends a lot of time sitting alone in the dark – is fatally electrocuted, Frank makes like he's never seen Flatliners and insists that they wrest her back from beyond the grave.
As minor body horror (My, what ink black eyes you have, Zoe…), PG-rated jolts (My, what Carrie-like telekinetic abilities you've developed, Zoe…) and over-directed fantasy sequences (My, what a dark secret you harbour, Zoe…) fail to quicken the pulse, it becomes painfully apparent that there's simply no resuscitating a film that was DOA.
