Ink

Alright so I only found this movie by accident, it was because I was listening to music on youtube and someone actually use this movie as the topic of their fan made music video. Watching the music video I was curious to check out a movie that was based on what I watched. Plus over all for an indie movie it looked good.
Now I first should probably set up the movie that way you get the idea of why my mind had to actually be curious to investigate the movie. So here is the IMDB’s quick blurb about it.
As the light fades and the city goes to sleep, two forces emerge. They are invisible except for the power they exert over us in our sleep, battling for our souls through dreams. One force delivers hope and strength through good dreams; the other infuses the subconscious with desperation through nightmares. John (Chris Kelly) and Emma (Quinn Hunchar), Father and Daughter are wrenched into this fantastical dream world battle, forced to fight for John’s soul and to save Emma from an eternal nightmare. Separate in their journey, they encounter unusual characters that exist only in their subconscious. Or do they? Ink is a high-concept visual thriller that weaves seamlessly between the conscious and the subconscious. Ink has been hailed as the new “it” movie and compared to cult classics Brazil, Donnie Darko, The Matrix, Dark City and Pan’s Labyrinth.





Now, before you really wonder, does it really live up to Darko? Labryinth and Matrix- I personally didn’t THINK SO. It was a good, I enjoyed it and would probably watch it again at some point in the future. However I can’t say that I was BLOWN away by the movie over all. Concept wise, yes, product that I was presented with- maybe. Alright on to the review.


Part I- Set Up (Over all 3/5 for the set up and first act)

Alright I am not gonna lie, it started out weird and wasn’t sure really what was happening, I mean it wasn’t like “O.O DEAR LORD WHAT IS GOING ON!!!” But I did have to rewatch it just to make sure I was actually getting what I thought I saw. But no, the idea is not thrown at you, the opening plot device is actually laid down in a bread crumb fashion, causing those who rely on the painfully obvious to actually do more then veg during a movie.
I didn’t care much for some of the acting. It just didn’t seem convincing to me at some points and one of them was actually a main character- the father. Sorry but driving down a busy city street screaming fuck for no apparent reason to the view does not make me relate. Was funny though just because hearing some yell fuck so much for again, no reason. It just made me giggle.


Part II- The Cast (Over all again, 3/5 the act it self was better then the cast development)

Alright so this movie follows John (the father) and Emma (the I wanna say 4-7 year old girl) as the story plays out. It does jump back and forth every so often and it isn’t very good at switching like most movies do. Maybe that was a budget choice, being Indie I am not going to hold it against them, I am just going to point it out, if you’re gonna be following two characters like that- end their segments a little better so that we are not left wondering what we missed or whatever.
Anyway, yeah during the second act we start to learn more about John and Emma through a lot of flash backs by John or arguments between him and Emma’s maternal grandfather- who we really don’t get to know either…shame he seemed like a guy I’d really go for in the end lol. (Yeah if you like character development more then story- avoid this movie, because honestly the character development portion is kinda lacking in some areas of the film.)
We also get to know Ink, Liev, the Blind Pathfinder….OH and- Mr. Black punchy man and chick with white tank top that really has badly written lines. (That is what I have dubbed them)
Talking actually takes off in this act in the sense of conversations between cast members where you actually can grab at straws to what is going on, and I won’t lie- the pathfinder with electrical tape ‘x’ing his eyes out…he was awesome.


Part III- The Plot Developing to Conclusion (This one shockingly will be getting a 3 and 1/2 out of 5. You’ll see why though.)

Alright so we have met the cast and learned that the story tellers (good guys) and incubi (bad guys) are at an unspoken, unexplained, undiscussed war. For really - no reason. Other then to battle over who gets to implant dreams into, well…US. Yeah not kidding they live in a parallel universe and affect what dreams we have but yet given the actual option to reveal what started this “good dream v nightmare war” we don’t know. Personally I think that the first incubi was just a little spitfuck who pissed off the wrong chick. (The story tellers are primarily female and the few men they seem to have- are kinda not ‘manly’ while the Incubi are ALL MEN)

Now back to the story- Ink (a drifter) has kidnapped Emma’s soul and is taking her to the Incubi to offer her up so that he can become one of them. Not gonna lie- until they revealed his face….I liked him a lot. I gained my interest back though literally at the end when everything came full circle. It was the face though that just bugged me. Anyway, yeah during that journey (he has to go the long way because Liev (Emma’s Dream….body…guard…stalker…weird thing) broke the little hand drum that Ink uses to jump from place to place….I think (unsure really how that thing was supposed to work especially seeing as no one really explained on it.)

Yeah but back to the real world, Emma is in a Coma due to her lack of a soul. With this however the story tellers think that by having her father reunite with her physically, as a loving father should do with his near dying daughter, it’ll break her sickness and wake her up. (Because you know- fuck modern medicine, if your kids in a coma, it just means some other dimensional creature took her soul and is gonna go all virgin sacrifice on her ass just to get a black and white tv screen for a face and creepy 70s glasses.)


  Now back to the plot/wrap up. Not gonna lie the ending was GREAT…until it ended. I mean the set up to end was awesome (not the BIG climatic fight I expected but that fight was more mental/emotional then physical for everyone- a lot of revelations, revealing of truths, etc) the physical fighting was cool, the story tellers fighting the incubi trying to take John in a hospital while he walked to find his daughter in the same hospital. All the while the blind path finder is off running and doing something that will make things all the better. And Ink discovers his true self leading to a revelation of kinda awesomeness.


So it ends happily and things go well for kinda everyone, you know aside from the fact that now Emma knows that there is another dimension of people, all of them you know- INFECTING US with dreams…fighting for our souls, capable of taking them, possessing them, etc. you know I wanna know what happens to her. No really. the mental trauma of waking up form that “nightmare” is just complete bull shit. Does she go for therapy? Does she some how learn to become one of the story tellers because of her good heart? Does the incubi come back in a fiery vengeance for the swift kick to the nuts? This is where I was left annoyed- most movies that end with questions- are small ones, you know. the Did they get together, did the good side characters get a good ending etc. Not this much wtf-ery.


So yeah. That is Ink. (Reason it might have sucked in this review is that I try to avoid giving spoilers) I recommend the movie. It was great, but if you’re one of those people (like me) who want a cohesive story, plot development, story expansion, character growth- avoid it like the plague. It’s an indie movie first, foremost and last. It reminds you of it a lot. Causing you to actually get upset with somethings. I mean if this had a greater budget and was Hollywood done with the same cast that it had- maybe I’d be less pissy. Again…maybe. There were a lot of plot holes I noticed but they were plot relevant so I am gonna let you watch it to find out.
Ink- Unbiased (never seen or heard of it before) review- 8/10
Ink- pre watching expectations- 5/10 honestly (looked like a quick thrill nothing more)
so yeah I reviewed something again…tis been a while but I think I did good.
Can anyone can think of a movie I should possibly review next?