The Phoenix Incident, 2015.
Written and Directed by Keith Arem.
Starring Troy Baker, Elise Muller, James C. Burns, Karl Girolamo, William Goldman and Mason Shea Joyce.
SYNOPSIS:
A number of ‘missing person’ cases are reported in Phoenix, Arizona when an unexplained light appears in the sky one night in 1997.
When talent such as Keith Arem decides to step out of the video game arena and dip his toe into the waters of full on movie making, you cant help but feel a mix of joy and fear. With so many great games under his belt such as a huge chunk of the Call of Duty series, Darksiders 1 & 2, Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within (arguably the best of the reboot trilogy) and the simply fantastic Metro 2033, his skill for directing some of the most interesting interactive stories to date should mean the transition is an absolute no brainer. Yet, as with many who have tried, the transition between mediums often leads to a hard fall should pulling it off be a task too insurmountable.
Thankfully, Arems directorial debut isn’t a video game related tie-in but a sci-fi/horror mockumentary that blends interviews and found footage to detail the events of 1997, when a string of strange lights illuminated the skies in Phoenix Arizona, shortly before the still unexplained disappearance of four men. Naturally, the documenters slowly begin to uncover a huge government conspiracy ending in a perhaps not so shocking twist but a satisfying one none the less.
It’s easy to see that the found footage phenomenon is still enjoying its time in the sun, having climbed its way up the ladder to become many horror and sci-fi directors platform of choice, but while it’s an easy format to produce, it’s a whole different task to actually pull off successfully. Something that is always in the back of my mind when I enter into films that use the format/genre. After all, I need a film to suspend my disbelief and someone incessantly holding a lens in front of the unfolding horror before them doesn’t help disguise the fact that, I am in fact, watching a scripted movie.
While The Phoenix Incident stumbles a few times with the caveats of found footage, and certain ‘americanisms’ that I struggle to connect with (ie. “hey dude, there’s trouble! Lets head towards it! woooooo!”) thanks to rather clean and clever editing the film maintains its documentary feel throughout. Dancing around the facts and giving them a stretch more so than heavily focusing on the fiction, as interviewees deliver what feels like unscripted prose that only on the odd occasion came across as a little stiff. Even when recognisable faces such as Troy Baker (That well-known voice actor in every game you’ve ever enjoyed. Ever. EVER!) turned up on-screen, I still found myself invested in the set up and trying to work out just how much is real and how much is purely Arem’s imagination hard at work.
That in itself is high praise and a huge achievement considering Arem himself had set this as a goal post of his own, hoping that viewers would immediately head online to search for the truth.
With a plethora of news segments, filmed interviews and more, all blended with low-fi handy-cam footage (well, it is 1997) there isn’t a vast amount of character development here. Instead Arem is keen to keep the events moving along and the experience engaging. None of that constant hiding in bushes and heavy breathing we’ve come to expect from horror movies. The ebb and flow between media is tied off nicely with a subtle score from John Paesano (Daredevil TV Series, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials) which while memorable never becomes obtrusive.
Despite some dodgy CGI towards the end and the occasionally stiff piece of dialogue, The Phoenix Incident creates an intriguing movie experience. Offering tense moments of horror and blurring the truth until my skull was sore from scratching it so damn much!
This is a great debut for the video game veteran and one which fans of sci-fi, horror movies or a decent conspiracy about government cover ups should definitely invest some time in watching.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Ben Rayner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=qvTY7eXXIMg
Originally published September 7, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
