The overall idea is good, especially for a fan of alternate universes. But keep your expectations low-to-medium. The characters are ok, acting is ok and the story is (at most times) ok. If you are into this style, you ll find this movie enjoyable. 7/10
126 Reviews
This movie had so much potential.....
launrol_920010 April 2021
Not as bad as some reviews say
Sergiodave14 December 2020
This is an okay sci-fi film. Basic plot is 4 housemate find a mirror which is a portal to other parallel universes. The first half of the movie was better than the second. The acting was okay, I liked the fact that all four main characters were quite different. The direction wasn't great but passable, and as with all horrors they left it open for a sequel. Not bad to pass the time, but I think the plot for the second half could have been better.
Nifty idea but a few stumbles
whatch-179314 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This film feels strikingly similar to the 2014 Time Lapse, and is kind of a "what if the main characters weren't morons?" answer to that film. And the music has motifs that occasionally echo that film, and the leading lady in Parallel reminded me so much of the leading lady in Time Lapse, I thought it was the same person.
However, they are still very different films. I think though, in most respects, Time Lapse pulls the "kids find device that gives them a weird time related power" a lot better.
The first thing, IMHO, Parallel would benefit from significant trimming throughout, but especially in the middle. One example is the little Godfather spoof scene that goes on forever. Basically, because they found a way to make as much money as they want, they dynamite a huge pile of it. That's the real gag here, but there is also: the guys critiquing each other's Brando impersonation, Josh approaching the pile with a lit stick of dynamite, then the dynamite apparently not working before it goes off.
The second thing, replacing Josh is quite an interesting concept. I'm sure 99.9% of the time when this trope is used, we see it from the Josh character's point of view. There is so much to explore here that it's a disappointment the film barely explores it at all. It seems like an entire film could be built around that.
Related to that, Replacement Josh seems to figure out sort of what's going on (or at least who's doing it) way too easily and quickly. I think there's no chance at all he would figure anything like this out without a lot more than what we saw.
Replacement Josh SHOULD have have thought he was losing his mind. There's nothing in his reality to support that anything weird (like, say, involving a verse teleporting mirror) is happening at all. There are some indications Leena feels guilty about what they did, which was really rather horrific. I would have liked to see a lot more of her trying to "help" Josh get through this. That kid stepped into the Twilight Zone and has no idea. Also, there's that entire other world they stole Replacement Josh from.
Another biggie is the issue of time passing at different rates in the different realities. That seems like quite a cheat.
There was also a stinger at the end that seemed cheap and yawn inducing.
However, they are still very different films. I think though, in most respects, Time Lapse pulls the "kids find device that gives them a weird time related power" a lot better.
The first thing, IMHO, Parallel would benefit from significant trimming throughout, but especially in the middle. One example is the little Godfather spoof scene that goes on forever. Basically, because they found a way to make as much money as they want, they dynamite a huge pile of it. That's the real gag here, but there is also: the guys critiquing each other's Brando impersonation, Josh approaching the pile with a lit stick of dynamite, then the dynamite apparently not working before it goes off.
The second thing, replacing Josh is quite an interesting concept. I'm sure 99.9% of the time when this trope is used, we see it from the Josh character's point of view. There is so much to explore here that it's a disappointment the film barely explores it at all. It seems like an entire film could be built around that.
Related to that, Replacement Josh seems to figure out sort of what's going on (or at least who's doing it) way too easily and quickly. I think there's no chance at all he would figure anything like this out without a lot more than what we saw.
Replacement Josh SHOULD have have thought he was losing his mind. There's nothing in his reality to support that anything weird (like, say, involving a verse teleporting mirror) is happening at all. There are some indications Leena feels guilty about what they did, which was really rather horrific. I would have liked to see a lot more of her trying to "help" Josh get through this. That kid stepped into the Twilight Zone and has no idea. Also, there's that entire other world they stole Replacement Josh from.
Another biggie is the issue of time passing at different rates in the different realities. That seems like quite a cheat.
There was also a stinger at the end that seemed cheap and yawn inducing.
Plot ruined from the offset
sandycochrane-9775827 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
What annoyed me about this film is the
Way they just discovered they had an attic. Like, look at the outside of the house, you have 3 floors . The attic has a tower! What did they think those extra windows on the outside of the house were?? I know it's just a film but it's a serious plot point that annoys me.
Reasonably good sci-fi viewing for 2020, not many this year. Promising efforts.
iamsri17 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Personally, it's worth watching this one a couple of times.
I was completely taken aback at the ending, so I have my own theory:
Some versions of the same person have gotten together symbiotically for mutual benifits in their own separate universe/timelines. We saw that happening with the primary protagonist, Noel.
My take: Leena was happy to go along with the charade in most of the timelines. We also saw the sharing of advanced technologies across the multiverse - so if they factor that the gateway could be closed permanently/destroyed, they would make alternative arrangements. Possible that they found a way to open the gateway/portal ANYWHERE, like in the motel mirror room toward the ending - in that case, eliminating the meddling Leena in the primary timeline made sense.
Also if the gateway is destroyed IN ONE UNIVERSE, that does not mean that its destroyed in all the other timelines 😂
God, too many possibilities. Anyone with alternate explanations?
What did I just watch?
troublemakers17 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Amazing concept. Horrid Execution.
The opening is a great mood setter. We get a mystery that in essence is not what you think it is. I'm in. And a little Kathleen Quinlan is always a good thing.
A wonderfully fresh take on a unique premise, if you buy into a couple of really bone-headed conceits.
1. How long have they lived in this house where they don't recognize they have never been in a solid 1/4 - 1/3 of the house. If you have ever walked outside your house, you know what is on the other side of all of your windows.
Sooner or later, EVERYONE explores the attic. Especially four untethered twenty somethings living together. Somebody is going to look for a quiet secret space for themselves.
I'll give them that, just to move things along, but it's pretty ludicrous. And they do try to explain it, I just don't buy the explanation.
2. How do they go in to all the DIFFERENT Alts. How do they know they are in different Alts and how would you return to a same Alts if you wanted? It looked like for a second, they were going to explain this with the angle of the mirror / John and Noel going to different places when they went in separately. They have the opportunity with the time dilution and the white board, but they don't explain it.
A point is made to show the wheels turn to angle the mirror and establish it doesn't work if straight up and down, but there are multiple angles to exploit. Is each one a different Alt?
Again, remember the color coding is for us, the audience, to keep us grounded. It does not appear to register with the characters.
3. Time Dilution make no sense. Does EVERY Alt have the exact same time dilution. That just seems like a huge ask. Because why would it? Especially since they establish each Alt has minor little differences, as evidenced by Devin's quest to find his father still alive; albeit in prison (as well as Marissa's journals detailing her search for Edward). A simple line or two could have cleared up all of this confusion.
Another way to look at it: one minute in our dimension is 3 hours (180 minutes) in the main Alt. Extrapolating that out, 1 hour is 180 hours or 7.5 days) 1 day is 180 days (6 months) and 1 month (which is mentioned) is 180 months or 15 years. That is plenty of time for our Alts to change significantly. Including moving out of the house they all live in, getting married, etc. All the things you have done in your life over the last 15 years. It's the difference between 25 and 40.
4. Money. WTF? Did they just bankrupt all of the Alts? And wouldn't that have sent up red flags everywhere. Especially over 15 years. Did they NEVER return to the same dimension twice? That would make sense of the money, but it doesn't work for Marissa's journals.
5. Kidnapped Josh. After all the lengths they go through to figure things out initially, they decide to conscript an Alt Josh, with zero due diligence, and bring him into our dimension, where they have already established things are marginally different, i.e. Ryan Gosling ad Emma Stone s Frankenstein. What could go wrong?
Anyway these are the ones just off the top of my head.
Intriguing movie. Fantastic idea. Clunky and hare-brained execution.
Why not take the time to make a few minor adjustments, a line or two of dialogue here or there to fix some of the more problematic areas?
Solid acting, solid characters, solid directing. The camera movement, lighting and color palette give the film a significant signature. It works as a engaging, cinematic experience, but fails miserably as a cohesive, well developed, intelligent story.
So many little under-developed and poorly-thought-out ideas prevent this from a being a 'you gotta see this' film (like 'Predestination' or 'Triangle') and making it an interesting, but ultimately frustrating distraction.
The opening is a great mood setter. We get a mystery that in essence is not what you think it is. I'm in. And a little Kathleen Quinlan is always a good thing.
A wonderfully fresh take on a unique premise, if you buy into a couple of really bone-headed conceits.
1. How long have they lived in this house where they don't recognize they have never been in a solid 1/4 - 1/3 of the house. If you have ever walked outside your house, you know what is on the other side of all of your windows.
Sooner or later, EVERYONE explores the attic. Especially four untethered twenty somethings living together. Somebody is going to look for a quiet secret space for themselves.
I'll give them that, just to move things along, but it's pretty ludicrous. And they do try to explain it, I just don't buy the explanation.
2. How do they go in to all the DIFFERENT Alts. How do they know they are in different Alts and how would you return to a same Alts if you wanted? It looked like for a second, they were going to explain this with the angle of the mirror / John and Noel going to different places when they went in separately. They have the opportunity with the time dilution and the white board, but they don't explain it.
A point is made to show the wheels turn to angle the mirror and establish it doesn't work if straight up and down, but there are multiple angles to exploit. Is each one a different Alt?
Again, remember the color coding is for us, the audience, to keep us grounded. It does not appear to register with the characters.
3. Time Dilution make no sense. Does EVERY Alt have the exact same time dilution. That just seems like a huge ask. Because why would it? Especially since they establish each Alt has minor little differences, as evidenced by Devin's quest to find his father still alive; albeit in prison (as well as Marissa's journals detailing her search for Edward). A simple line or two could have cleared up all of this confusion.
Another way to look at it: one minute in our dimension is 3 hours (180 minutes) in the main Alt. Extrapolating that out, 1 hour is 180 hours or 7.5 days) 1 day is 180 days (6 months) and 1 month (which is mentioned) is 180 months or 15 years. That is plenty of time for our Alts to change significantly. Including moving out of the house they all live in, getting married, etc. All the things you have done in your life over the last 15 years. It's the difference between 25 and 40.
4. Money. WTF? Did they just bankrupt all of the Alts? And wouldn't that have sent up red flags everywhere. Especially over 15 years. Did they NEVER return to the same dimension twice? That would make sense of the money, but it doesn't work for Marissa's journals.
5. Kidnapped Josh. After all the lengths they go through to figure things out initially, they decide to conscript an Alt Josh, with zero due diligence, and bring him into our dimension, where they have already established things are marginally different, i.e. Ryan Gosling ad Emma Stone s Frankenstein. What could go wrong?
Anyway these are the ones just off the top of my head.
Intriguing movie. Fantastic idea. Clunky and hare-brained execution.
Why not take the time to make a few minor adjustments, a line or two of dialogue here or there to fix some of the more problematic areas?
Solid acting, solid characters, solid directing. The camera movement, lighting and color palette give the film a significant signature. It works as a engaging, cinematic experience, but fails miserably as a cohesive, well developed, intelligent story.
So many little under-developed and poorly-thought-out ideas prevent this from a being a 'you gotta see this' film (like 'Predestination' or 'Triangle') and making it an interesting, but ultimately frustrating distraction.
Worth more than 6/10.
malakia296622 February 2021
On the "Was I upset I spent 2hrs watching" scale this is a 7/10.
On a scale that includes StarWars, Wizard of OZ, Departed, etc. it wouldn't be that high.
I've seen BAD acting, special FX, etc., this movie could use some refinement here or there but I wouldn't use BAD to describe any aspect of it. I'm not a Genre (multi-verse) expert, don't think I've watched Twilight Zone, but I did enjoy Leo DiCaprio in Inception. This isn't Inception; and there are some areas where the "jumping" can be hard to track. But my Wife and I both agreed: "Not Bad" and a solid 6/10.
I've seen BAD acting, special FX, etc., this movie could use some refinement here or there but I wouldn't use BAD to describe any aspect of it. I'm not a Genre (multi-verse) expert, don't think I've watched Twilight Zone, but I did enjoy Leo DiCaprio in Inception. This isn't Inception; and there are some areas where the "jumping" can be hard to track. But my Wife and I both agreed: "Not Bad" and a solid 6/10.
textbook story implosion
A_Different_Drummer13 December 2020
Watching this film -- or trying to -- is like being in a slo-mo car accident. The opening sequence is fantastic. It "tells" you that this is the beginning of a great movie, there is so much more to come. But that is a false promise. Even the first 20 minutes seems to be heading in the right direction, a really promising setup. And then, once the arc is established, the writer completely runs out of ideas and suddenly the film experience about a group of friends with petty problems itself becomes just as petty. Textbook example of a story that works backwards -- the beginning is SO much better than the rest of the movie..
New Take on Parallel Universes
BeastyBoyFlicks27 May 2021
I'm glad I didn't overlook this one just cause it had a low rating on IMDB. This was a pretty good and somewhat original take on parallel universes. This is worth watching especially if you're a fan of this type of sci-fi.
Stick with it
utica9 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
At first Parallel comes across as being a bit goofy and silly - and some of the early scenes showing the main characters exploring the guilt free possibilities of jumping between worlds that they'll never return to certainly play on the comedic side - but eventually the film settles down into a taut character-driven thriller that manages to pull off some unexpected twists that impressed a jaded seen-every-sci-fi-that's-ever-been-made person like me. The origin of the device that allows trans dimensional travel is never explained, but this film isn't interested in that, instead it's an exploration of what the unexpected gift of an almost god-like power might do to a group of young people who've never taken their lives too seriously up until now. The film it most reminded me of is Danny Boyle's debut picture Shallow Grave, but instead of a bag of money found under the bed it's a portal to another world hiding in the secret attic. Stick with it.
Good story, horrible ending
realityinmind11 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
All I want to say is that the ending sucks. It makes no sense and serves no purpose. It is as if the writers had no idea what to do so they just came up with some off the wall plot hole ending just to be done with it.
Like 2015's "Parallels"
rsvp32114 December 2020
Great premise, good acting, so so writing; still entertaining.
vithiet13 August 2021
I agree with most critics here: it was a great concept. The actors are also doing a great job; it is unfortunate they were given very little to work with here in terms of how their characters and the story were written. This could have been a fantastic movie if the writers had had a better idea of where they wanted to go. Still, I managed to have a good time watching this; keep your expectations to a minimum and prepare for the lack of substance and you might enjoy it as well.
Underated
Blumanowar7 October 2021
As usual SciFi ratings on here are about 1 point lower than they should be because few people like SciFi. However this is a good show, not fantastic but good and very watchable. Didnt like the ending but it was very interesting and worth a watch if you like SciFi.
Great start, went downhill very quickly.
Gubby-Allen12 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The opening half was excellent, brilliantly contrived idea, with a good plot to go with it.
As with so many films, it went rapidly downhill and for the same reason as so many before it.
I have absolutely no idea why one of the characters had to start killing the others and turn it into any low grade slasher film.
The first death fair enough, that went with the story but a complete transformation of one of not more of the other characters added nothing.
It also was not always easy to know which reality the plot was in at the time.
As with so many films, it went rapidly downhill and for the same reason as so many before it.
I have absolutely no idea why one of the characters had to start killing the others and turn it into any low grade slasher film.
The first death fair enough, that went with the story but a complete transformation of one of not more of the other characters added nothing.
It also was not always easy to know which reality the plot was in at the time.
Very good low-key sci-fi film
namstonk13 December 2020
Pretty much faultless movie, only limited by its budget and story arc. It's well directed and acted from some well known faces, the script is aligned with each character, the score and cinematography keep everything moving nicely. As mentioned the only limitation is the story itself, you know pretty much what is going to occur, however it's definitely worth it. Only real negative is the run time, 15-20 mins too long, but the end gore is worth it.
why end it this way?????
jsumr-1207412 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Ok. The movie was pretty interesting and confusing also with characters mixing between universes and I couldn't follow who was who but that also could have been the charm of the movie also. But the ending. Come on!!! Really???
Far Better Than Most Reviews
cjstanford-6509715 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
In short it's an entertaining 2 hours. It's more of a psychological drama using sci-fi to keep the storyline scintillating and less predictable. The very end employs an over used "horror-genre" end: makes it a bit of a let down, "oh, not this again." And as other reviewers have noted, the "Godfather" scene is just unnecessary and distracting since it doesn't really fit with the story. It's as if someone didn't want to leave it on the cutting room floor, although that's where it belonged. Lastly, the time differential is just an amateurish device, that is inconsistent with good sci-fi. If there was a time differential, which makes no sense since all parallel worlds are basically technologically, socially, and demographically identical, the differentials would more likely vary from universe to universe beginning at the jump. The director uses a cinema graphic tool ( colored and slightly fisheyed lens) to show the perspective of an "alt" in our world, but only introduces this tool toward the end of the movie, which feels cheap and disappointing.
Had potential
CakeWalks2725 December 2020
The multi verse idea has so much potential. The show Fringe is an example of making that idea interesting. This is a drama where the main story is relationships/friendships, not much sci-fi. Started out decent enough, then by 2nd half seemed like a totally different movie as it became a muddled, boring soap opera.
Very Good Indie Sci Fi
nafps22 January 2022
Low reviews coming mostly from those demanding all sci fi have hundred million dollar budgets and sneering "Where are the big names?"
It's indie, and impressive what they were able to do with some fine acting from unknown actors and almost zero effects. The story is well plotted with some good twists, as interesting as most time travel/parallel world stories.
Will keep the interest of any but those loving Michael Bay blow-them-up type brainlessness.
It's indie, and impressive what they were able to do with some fine acting from unknown actors and almost zero effects. The story is well plotted with some good twists, as interesting as most time travel/parallel world stories.
Will keep the interest of any but those loving Michael Bay blow-them-up type brainlessness.
Starts off well, slowly disintegrates, too many lead characters
jmw11108515 October 2021
The first half or so was well done. Then it began to get sloppy and confusing, with the ending jumping the shark. None of the characters were well developed and only Ameen's character made you care. It would have been a much better movie if they would have had one or two less lead characters which would have enabled a more focused story line. Not a bad movie but not memorable or worth watching again.
Not to great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jewelch4 February 2021
The ending of the movie is a jumbled rush. However, the movie is enough of an interesting sci-fi jaunt that's worth watching if viewers don't mind keeping track of characters that have look-alike counterparts in a parallel world. James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 2/3/2021
Very decent, worth watching.
rafatellez16 October 2021
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