Former Orphan Black writer Tony Elliott has once again impressed us with his storytelling in his new film, “ARQ!”
“ARQ” follows Renton (Robbie Amell) and Hannah (Rachael Taylor) – a couple trapped in Renton’s lab and held hostage by masked raiders – who must protect a time looping energy source that could save humanity from the wrath of Torus.
Since its release, “ARQ“ has been receiving mixed reviews, including a positive 65% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This is what we had to say about it:
You know a movie is good when its first few minutes pulls at your curiosity and raises questions that you not just want, but need answered, and that is exactly what “ARQ” does!
In the beginning of the film, you feel a sense of urgency as you watch Renton and Hannah being kidnapped by a group of masked men before they are taken to Renton’s lab. That sense of urgency only grows as the film progresses. With each new loop comes twists and discoveries that leave you questioning everything, from which characters to trust to how each loop will play out. You might even assume that some loops will mostly repeat, but thanks to Elliott’s impressive writing and the phenomenal acting by Amell and Taylor, each loop manages to give a sense of deja-vu along with uncertainty – there are even moments that manage to throw you off guard as you anxiously await to see what is happening next. Just when you expect it to all be over, a new twist is thrown in that makes you eager to find out what will happen next. We definitely hope that this film will come with a sequel because we can’t get over that ending!
While some people are not impressed with certain aspects of the film, we have chosen to rate it 8.5/10. Considering its budget, we think that the well-written plot and talented acting makes “ARQ” a must-see sci-fi film for movie lovers everywhere. While there is still room for improvements for things like the effects, I think this film is overall interesting and worth checking out.
“ARQ” was released yesterday at midnight and is available to watch on Netflix. We totally recommend that you watch it! Still not convinced? You can check out the trailer here.
Hated the Cliffhanger! Hope they make ARQ 2 soon
Agreed, and I wonder he said there were 1000’s of loops, at 9 days each that’s 9000 days, and since the ARQ has only affected them then at least 25 years had passed on the outside… I hope they either make a sequel or make this into a backdoor pilot for a new series.
Yes but each loop only lasts about 2 hrs and 10 minutes so wouldn’t you multiply that by 1000’s not the amount of days ? Therefore more like say 130 minutes (2 hrs 10 min) multiplied by 1000 (number of loops) is 130 000 minutes divided by 60 (minutes in an hour) which is 2166.667 hours which divided by 24 ( hours in a day) gives us 90.2778 days. Interesting concept I hope the do more with it as well.
Just finished the movie and I loved it. It has a Ex Machina vibe to it. Small budget, one space to work with and just a handfull of actors. The two main leads are amazing and they had great chemistry. Some of the others maybe not so much, but the guy who played Sunny was very good as well. It had just enough science talk without making you feel like an idiot. But the nail biting tension is what made this movie so good and so entertaining. I give it a 9. Hope they so a second.
I liked it, but started watching it thinking it was a TV series. Really wished it was because it ended like a first episode. It just really sucks it was a movie actually.
I thought the same thing, thinking it was a series, but then thinking maybe this was a backdoor pilot for one.
Was an interesting take on the time loop. But good lord for a guy that somehow builds a time machine, he really is stupid! The stupidity he shows in some of the scenes make you scream at the TV!
I wish I haven’t seen it… before they made a sequel 😉
Very nice movie !
ok movie, but the ending totally sucked, which ruins any good film… ;
If they don’t make a ‘2’ then it’s pointless… no answers : [