Coherence Review
Coherence follows a group of friends that congregate for a dinner party the same night a comet is scheduled to fly through the night sky. The dinner party patrons quickly realize something is wrong when the power goes out as the comet flies by. Soon nothing, or more accurately no one, is as they seem.
Coherence was like a blend of +1 and The Invitation. +1 in plot and The Invitation in the psychological thriller approach. In fact, it was so close in concept and delivery to these two films, I felt I was simultaneously watching an original film and a remake at the same time. +1 and Coherence came out in the same year, which doesn't surprise me considering the overwhelming similarities. Often times, original scifi concepts come in pairs (though I've never studied the reasoning behind this, it is incredibly common), so I'm not terribly surprised.
Despite Coherence's obvious similarities with other films, its pseudo-improvised acting and script gave the film a more realistic and personable approach that was unmatched in either film I mentioned previously. While it made moments toward the beginning feel more like an indie family drama set in a cabin by a lake as the characters try to cope with a recent death, but it then made the film's mysteries all the more relatable to the audience.
There was a few scenes that felt forced with obligatory "I can't believe you did [blank]" moments, and some of the quantum science/philosophy is plowed through so quickly by the recently-discussed knowledge that you are trying to double-check their math for possible plot-holes before they quickly move on to motive-defining dialogue. There were moments when patience was a virtue trying to catch their reason to conclusions of understanding.
This film, as I probably should've mentioned before, was not a horror film and more-so fell into the sister genre of thriller, in particular psychological thriller. This is one of my favorite sister genres because of its mind-flexing plots, and this film doesn't disappoint in that regard. Despite its obvious low budget, the acting was very well-rounded, especially for such a relatively large cast in a claustrophobic setting. Much like The Invitation, I think this film deserves one watch, but likely holds little value after that. But you might find yourself divided on such a suggestion, as part of you wouldn't want to sit through the pacing, while the other part would love to further explore the briefly and hastily discussed scientific and philosophical elements.
Horror Qualifier: 5/10
Horror Quality: 2/10
Film Quality: 6/10