Science fiction can be a tough genre to nail down. A story that lacks complexity fails to engage, while a story with too much complexity will turn off any interested party. When mixing ideas and building twists on top of twists, it can be hard not to be carried away.
In the Shadow of the Moonpremiered at Fantastic Festin September 2019, before dropping directly to Netflix one week later. The film currently holds a 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, and drew intensely mixed opinions from the critics at the time of its release. Some saw the film as an unoriginal misfire, while others view it as a solid concept that was well-executed most of the time. Some spoilers forIn the Shadow of the Moonfollow, so proceed with caution.
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In the Shadow of the Moonfollows Philadelphia cop Thomas Lockhart as he is embroiled in aninexplicable wave of sudden killings. When multiple seemingly unrelated people spontaneously hemorrhage from the brain, Lockhart and his fellow officers discover a unique pattern of evidence that links the bizarre deaths. Further investigation leads Lockhart into a dangerous chase and confrontation with the assailant, a young woman with seemingly supernatural capabilities. The culprit easily overpowers Lockhart and his partner, but what really shocks the officer is that she seems to know a great deal about him. After some cryptic hints about the officer’s future, the young lady predicts her own death, then falls back into an oncoming train, leaving Thomas confused and horrified. Thomas leaves the scene just in time to rejoin his wife, who dies in childbirth as his culprit predicted. Thomas is forever changed by the strangest event of his life, followed by the loss of his wife. When the killings start up again nine years later, Thomas must rush into actionto solve the mysteryand figure out what he has to do with all of this.
The plot ofIn the Shadow of the Mooncrosses a great period of time, but also eagerly hops across genres to weave a bizarre tapestry. First and foremost, it’s a detective story with asemi-soft sci-fi edge. In between the years of investigation and strange technological fantasy, the film pulls off some troubling family drama and a bit of social commentary. There’s a philosophical weight to the story that doesn’t fully kick in until the ending, but the personal story is the driving center of the narrative. The film finds snapshots of Lockhart’s life, each interaction with the mysterious killer drastically warping his personality and his relationship with his family. The film features time travel, but it isn’treally a time travel moviein the way that term is typically understood. It’s a unique work of perspective, choosing to view the events of a typical time travel thriller through the eyes of someone who is only partially aware of what’s going on.
The cast is one of the few aspects of the film that received near-universal praise. Boyd Holbrook, probably best known for his role asDonald Pierce inLogan, stars as Thomas and brings a laudable versatility to the role. The film finds the character in radically different places in his life throughout its runtime, essentially giving the audience a separate main character for each act of the story. Holbrook is excellent in the lead role. He’s a streetwise detective and devoted family man who, through inexplicable circumstances, slowly becomes an unhinged conspiracy theorist, and the change feels very natural.Dexterstar Michael C. Hallalso shines as Lockhart’s compassionate brother-in-law. Bokeem Woodbine is fun and charming as Lockhart’s friendly partner. Cleopatra Coleman, best known as Erica inThe Last Man on Earthor Grace inDopesick,is absolutely stellar as Rya, the film’s mysterious antagonist. Coleman, a trained dancer, is electric in the film’s action scenes, selling herself as powerful in a way that cannot be explained.
The biggest weakness of the film is its ambition — there’s a bit too much going on. It combines a story about a man wracked with grief and facing with things he can’t explain, with a bizarre series of unnecessary lore dumps about the mechanics of its world. Some elements of the film don’t make a lot of sense, largely because the point-of-view character is as uninformed as the audience. However, those more confusing moments are largely forgotten once the film gets where it’s going. There are unquestionable weaknesses in the film’s lore, many of which are extremely commonin films featuring time travel. The elements that stand out are strong, but there’s a lot to nitpick for those who aren’t engaged.
Fans of loose sci-fi, detective films, and heavy twists and turns will find a lot to like fromIn the Shadow of the Moon. It’s far from perfect, but the strong performances and sincere drama at its heart keep the film from feeling like a mess, and it deserves more recognition than it currently receives. For those interested in checking out this underrated film,In the Shadow of the Moonis available to stream now on Netflix.
