Plus One DVD Review

     Actors: Rhys Wakefield, Ashley Hinshaw

Director: Dennis Iliadis

Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: MPI HOME VIDEO

DVD Release Date: January 14, 2014

Run Time: 97 minutes

 

        Plus One is almost a great film, but there are a few contradictory ideas within the film which destroyed the illusion for me. Comparisons have been made to Donnie Darko and Primer, combined with Project X for the trashier party elements of the storyline, but the difference between this film and those other two independent time-travel cult films is the way in which the hold up upon further inspection. Plus One seems to fall apart in terms of themes and character actions where Donnie Darko and Primer withstand excessive scrutiny that comes with cult status, but the fact that it had me thinking about it enough to find the tears in the fabric was impressive in itself.

 

        Set during an unrealistically over-the-top party held by a teenage college student, an unexplained phenomenon causes a strange rift in time. Suddenly the events from earlier in the evening begin to occur, with all new duplicates of everyone attending the party. This phenomenon remains a mystery for large portion of the film due to the shifting nature of the party’s events, so that everyone is outside when their doubles appear in the house. Only three friends who remained inside are aware of the duplicates, and must decide how to react without causing panic.

 

While the creativity of combining a party film with a science-fiction time travel movie does impress me, I found that the constant need for excessive skin and abhorrent behavior was ultimately nothing more than a distraction to prevent audiences from over-thinking the film’s logic. The combination simply allowed for both to be handicapped rather than elevating each other to something greater. There is plenty of gratuitous nudity and trashy teenage behavior, often opting to linger on nubile breasts rather than contemplate the intricacies of time travel.

 

The DVD release includes a commentary track with director Dennis Iliadis and cinematographer Mihai Malaimare, Jr., along with a behind-the-scenes featurette for the visual effects and several interviews with the director. There are also cast auditions, a poster gallery, trailer gallery and a few deleted scenes.

       

Entertainment Value: 8/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 6/10

Historical Significance: 5/10

Disc Features: 8/10