Revolution X

Directed by Matthew Cannon

2023

There’s a quote from the crew of Revolution X stating that: “The film rejects conventions of mainstream sci-fi that conforms to an action orientated spectacle, and instead focuses on the why rather than the what.”

While this writer would argue that modern science fiction – even with a barrage of action heavy showcases – has never been afraid to be a little more cerebral than some other genres, I can certainly appreciate the sentiment behind it. Nor has writer/director Matthew Cannon or co-writer Ella Valentine let their mission statement strip the film of ambition.

Revolution X is a hugely ambitious piece of work, one that traverses three timelines and asks some big questions about what we, as a species, need. We open a few hundred years in the future at a swanky art exhibition held by the Planet X corporation, with some impressive special effects creating a futuristic world that we can see through the windows, and some impressive holographic work.

The art on display is from Tee Hudson (Tee Morris) – a 21^st century artist whose success and talent led to the creation of charities and brought happiness and good to the world. In this timeline, Hudson is goodness writ large, and Planet X sends operatives back in time to murder Hudson’s mother while he is still a child and manipulate his relationships throughout his life to drive him to destitution and suicide. Its overall aim to take ownership of his work, while stripping away his impact on the world.

Fighting to save Hudson’s legacy is Lottie (Carlotta Ryan), who is haunted by visions of what the world will become without him. Alongside her boyfriend Grey (Ruggero Barlaba), Lottie tracks Hudson down and attempts to rescue him from his deteriorating timeline.

Revolution X works on intrigue. Barring one hugely impressive action sequence towards the end of the film, which is genuinely thrilling, the film focuses on developing the timelines. This does come with some flaws. There is, by necessity, a huge amount of exposition to cram three timelines into a 90-minute film. As the story is a little convoluted as well, any break in your attention does mean you risk becoming a little lost.

While the successful timeline for Hudson is supposed to be exaggerated, it also comes off as a little saccharine and fumbles the pacing a little at the start. There are some really engaging moments when Planet X starts to mess with the timeline, forcibly ripping Hudson out of his happy life, and I wonder if by switching some scenes around (having his mother murdered and then jumping to the happiest timeline) we could have seen Hudson undergo this at a different point – during his speech perhaps.

With that said, Morris does an excellent job here. Essentially carrying the film for the most part because of how critical Hudson is to the plot. He’s very believable, even during some of the more outlandish story beats and is a charming presence on screen. In fact, there are good performances all round, with even the less important characters having a moment to shine on screen.

Perhaps it was budget constraints, but I would have liked to see more of the futuristic world, and perhaps get a better idea of why accumulating and controlling art works in Planet X’s favour, and to get a feeling of the world removing these art pieces creates. But with the final moments hinting at a potential franchise, there is plenty of opportunity for Cannon and company to explore this further. And considering the thoughtful story they’ve put together here; I’d be happy to go on that ride with them.

★★★★

4 / 5

Matthew Tilt

Twitter @Matthew_Tilt