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Movie Review by The Gravedigger
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12.20.09
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The first eight minutes or so of the movie shows shows a hooded woman being tortured and then, to "9 Years Later", in which a group of army commandos shoot their way out of a building against some bad odds. Then the soldiers are taken out of the virtual reality game they are testing. I was trying to figure out how those two different scenes are connected but it's explained during the movie. Tom and Vic (Alex O'Connell from the TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR) are the technicians for this new system of battle training. Tom is pompous and seems like he's always up to something. Vic is dating a soldier, Jess (Rachael Taylor of SHUTTER). As it's the weekend, the guys decide to "borrow" the system and take it to an old closed down prison in order to play some games. Vic has gathered two of his friends. One of them is a guard who works there and the other is a top gamer. They are excited to play.
Meanwhile, Vic's girlfriend Jess (who must be the best looking soldier in the world), has decided to stay back at the army camp. But after she's nearly assaulted by her angry sergeant, Taggert, in the shower, she decides to leave and meet her friends. This doesn't sit well with her commander so he follows her.
Back at the prison they begin playing the game. They have mapped out the interior of the place with many cameras, which has created a virtual reality version of it. The two friends find themselves in military uniforms and have weapons which they start using against their numerous adversaries. It's just like that POV scene at the beginning of the movie. Then something strange begins to happen. Another presence joins them, which looks like a disheveled woman. Back in reality Tom sees this on the computer as an anomaly. Yet, he seems more excited than worried. It's not until one of the gamers disappears off the grid that this changes. At this point they have to find where he's been hidden or else he will not be able to wake up. Jess shows up just in time and since she has actual military training volunteers for the job. What ensues is a battle against this creature, who can also change the virtual landscape by hiding stairwells and creating new walls.
The problem I have with most movies that takes place in "Virtual Reality" (such as the HARSH REALM television series) is that while this is all happening in the character's minds it's not real so I don't care so much what happens to them. But GHOST MACHINE effectively deals with this. While the ghost can create cold spots and give people goosebumps in reality, it can do far more damage in the virtual reality, to such an extent that if she rips them to pieces there they get ripped to shreds in real life. GHOST MACHINE also benefits from a solid script by writer Sven Hughes (in a dvd extra he talks about how he's had this script idea for nearly a decade) and a few protagonists you care about. Oh, and the Ghost of the title is incredibly vicious. Recommended.
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Rating: 9.0 out of 10.0 - 1 vote cast total
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