Honestly, someone isn’t promoting this movie right. The trailer and the press release stills are not doing The Laplace’s Demon any justice; so much so that I almost passed on reviewing it because its promo material looked so bland. Luckily, Reel Nightmare Films has a track record for distributing interesting throwback features and their name was on the line once again with The Laplace’s Demon. Sure, the film won a ton of awards in the indie film festival scene, but is it any good? Yes, without a doubt. It’s amazing, absolutely stunning – but I’ll get to that later. From writer/director Giordano Giulivi, The Laplace Demon is inspired by a minimalist theory of the same name, where we are nothing but cogs in a universal, ticking clock, where we are predictable and incapable of free will. And, you know what, I can see the truth and believe-ability in that. Story-wise, the film follows a small team of scientists in an old mansion as they research a way to predict the future, only to find themselves trapped inside by an evil professor with a deadly test. Shot under Astro Lab Pictures and produced by Giordano Guilivi, Silvano Bertolin, Ferdinando D’Urbano and Duccio Guilivi, The Laplace’s Demon stars Alessandro Zonfrilli, Carlotta Mazzoncini, Duccio Giulivi, Ferdinando D’Urbano, Silvano Bertolin, Simone Moscato, Simone Valeri and Walter Smorti. Find it on iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play and more digital platforms on February 22, 2019.
The Laplace’s Demon is a simple science fiction mystery but it’s so much fun. Picture House on Haunted Hill (1959) mixed with The Cell (2000). Or something in the same vein as Ten Little Indians (1965) with a fantastical, technological twist. That’s perhaps what I loved the most about The Laplace’s Demon, the fact that it is an incredibly successful throwback. Something that reads like a longer episode of The Twilight Zone (1959) or something that Elvira, Mistress of the Dark would have hosted during Movie Macabre. Just so, so good. A big house, a palpable atmosphere, and enviable set/production design was all it took to make this movie a wild hit. It dares you and challenges you to appreciate something different, an artistic masterpiece of a movie and it’s probably the best release from Reel Nightmare Films. Cinematographer and editor Ferdinando D’Urbano gets the most credit for this success, and it seems like he was the man who made this movie look as good as it does. It’s shot in black and white, but it’s oh so flawless and crisp; yet some scenes mirror the feel of comic books or films like Sin City (2005). I could rave about the look and feel of this movie more, but you get this picture. It’s absolutely stunning. The digital effects and awesome visuals are an added bonus that add to the scifi/fantasy themes in the movie. You’re almost going to forget that this is a scifi-mystery because you’re going to be so awe struck by the presentation.
The Laplace’s Demon was shot in Italy by an Italian cast and crew, so obviously the characters speak in Italian and the subtitles appear on screen. This really wasn’t an issue for me. The Laplace’s Demon is a period piece and the subtitles just happened to fit into that overall allure. It was hard to judge the actors’ performances in the beginning, but I began to notice the inflections in their voices and, if you’re a capable actor, it’s easy to infuse emotion into your words no matter what language your speaking. No criticisms from me in the field of acting and production at all. I was hoping for a for unfortunate accidents, to really plague the characters, but I’m happy that this film stayed on topic. Perhaps my only criticism is that the movie ends on a hopeful, skeptical note. I was hoping for more of a doomsday crisis. Still, The Laplace’s Demon is a sleeper hit and a beautiful piece of work. A successful throwback with an eclipsing theme of telling the future and how our actions effect that, or how the larger majority can sway the ticking of the clock. I loved The Laplace Demon. It’s coming to iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play and other digital platforms in the United States and Canada on February 22, 2019. I highly recommend streaming/downloading this movie if you’re a fan of The Twilight Zone or if you’re dying to see something unusual. I promise you won’t regret it.
Final Score: 9 out of 10.
