Flatliners
starring Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton, Kiersey Clemons and Kiefer Sutherland
written by Ben Ripley
directed by Niels Arden Oplev
Rating: ♦◊◊◊◊
This is a remake of the 1990 movie of the same title, directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Oliver Platt, Kevin Bacon and William Baldwin. A group of medical students develops an interest in investigating the afterlife. So, one by one, each member of their small group of friends uses hospital facilities to induce heart death followed by resuscitation before brain cellular damage can occur, and then analyze their different ‘near death’ experiences. As medical students they feel well prepared for the technical mechanics of the operation - but talk about stupidity!
I think the 1990 movie was motivated partly by a contemporary popular culture interest in so-called near-death experiences. The remake was made for the sake of money - an attempt by studios to milk that cow one more time. Today’s movie audience might think that 1990 is ancient history, but it’s almost like last year to me, and I don’t think the 1990 film really needs to be re-made yet. It’s still okay. It was never better than just okay, because the stupidity of the premise spoils it for me. Whatever their genre, I like my movies to approach plausibility as a device to draw me in. The idea of deliberately ‘flatlining’ for fun doesn’t’ cut it with me. I admit that the medical equipment, technology, vocabulary, procedures and protocols are interesting, but the single most interesting thing about this movie is the appearance of Kiefer Sutherland as medical professor Dr. Barry Wolfson. Sutherland starred in the original film as Nelson Wright, the leader of the morbid group. In the remake, Sutherland’s character - a speaking role, more than just a cameo - is replaced by Courtney Holmes (Ellen Page). The death of Courtney’s younger sister in a traffic accident cultivates her interest in the afterlife.