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Ejecta DVD Review

Ejecta DVD

Director: Chad Archibald

Cast: Julian Richings, Lisa Houle, Adam Seybold, Mark Gibson, Justin Darmanin and Ry Barrett.

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 87 Minutes

With worldwide movie audiences currently tackling the issues of BACK TO THE FUTURE 2’s disappointingly inaccurate 2015 predictions and THE INTERVIEW’s disastrous theatrical run…it seems that this year may hold few cinematic surprises in the grand scheme of things. After all, in a world overloaded with productions of every genre, this would lead many to predict that an alien-related narrative would be the last to offer anything remotely in the way of originality. However, despite the fact that some viewers may assume they have had their fair share of extra-terrestrial outings on the big and small screen, EJECTA offers genuinely intriguing material, as well as some exciting performances from some criminally unknown actors.

From the very beginning of EJECTA, it is clear that the film has taken strong influence from the current obsession with ‘found-footage’ horror productions. Since THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT revolutionised the (now-overused) trend back in 1999, horror and supernatural thriller films have frequently adopted the filming technique to great success. Although the genre was arguably at its peak with CLOVERFIELD in 2008, it would be idiotic to assume that many modern day examples do not take note from PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (and its sequels). This influence is clearly evident within EJECTA, and as a result functions as its only source of cliché. On the other hand, it is fairly unusual to utilise this directorial style in a science fiction format, revolving around the theme of alien possession, rather than paranormal possession. This is where director Chad Archibald offers something slightly different, in a genre almost as crowded as superhero and comic book adaptations.

Ejecta Film

The film also excels in its uniquely independent ambience, which originates from its Canadian background and minimal production budget. This however lends a strangely unsettling authenticity to EJECTA, that viewers will struggle to find elsewhere. In terms of the performances within this straight-to-DVD gem, the main attraction is undoubtedly Julian Richings and his brilliantly British persona. The Oxford-born actor attempts his best Canadian accent in the film, but unfortunately can not hide his strong home-grown roots in some minor linguistic slip-ups here and there. This is however, my only negative (and irritatingly trivial) gripe with an otherwise fantastic performance from start-to-finish. Richings is an actor most commonly known to fans of the CW’s Supernatural, however, casual moviegoers will be shocked to discover that they actually recognise this stars face from a number of Hollywood films, such as X-MEN: THE LAST STAND and most recently MAN OF STEEL.

Despite EJECTA’s interesting premise (trading alien abduction for alien possession), there are some scenes of the film that could have come across slightly dull without the presence of Richings. Fortunately, audiences will discover that the phenomenal actor has the rare ability to hold your attention throughout the entirety of the narrative. Strangely enough, the sequences that immediately come to mind when casting thoughts back to Richings and his performance, are in fact the found-footage extracts. Despite my slight annoyance with the plot device, these scenes allow Richings to flesh out his character (William Cassidy) in such a fantastic manner, that some will find it difficult to look away from his face.

Overall…not a perfect science fiction drama, but EJECTA is definitely a thought-provoking film that will leave viewers mulling over its content long after the credits have rolled. It would also be a crime not to mention Lisa Houle, who shines as Dr. Tobin in the visually disturbing sequences of torture, presented in the present day segments. Many curious spectators (including myself), will also walk away wondering why on earth Julian Richings is not more prominent in mainstream media.

[usr=3] EJECTA is available on DVD and Blu-ray now.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Allan MacInnis

    Oct 29, 2015 at 5:05 am

    Nice to see that people outside Canada are fans of Julian Richings. If you haven’t seen him as Bucky Haight in Hard Core Logo, you’re doing yourself a disservice! (Love his brief pop up in Del Toro’s director’s cut of Mimic, too…).

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