Imbued with the aesthetic of a 1990s monster movie, post-apocalyptic creature-feature Elevation is a high-concept actioner which recognises the value of injecting interesting character dynamics into end-of-the-world jeopardy. Making a virtue of budgetary necessity, the film focuses on a small ensemble of characters and relies on breathtaking real-world locations. Director George Nolfi gets great cinematic value from the stunning backdrop of the Colorado mountains, and whenever the action unfolds in the great outdoors, Elevation looks fantastic.
Opening three years on from a global calamity which saw subterranean monsters (‘Reapers’) emerge to lay waste to global civilisation, the few survivors of the disaster in the US have retreated to the safety of the high mountains. At huge human cost, they have discovered that the creatures, who can be seen at a distance because of the red light of their laser probe, refuse to move above 8,000 feet elevation. Members of one of the communities, now eking out an existence as a new frontier town, need urgent medical supplies and access to laboratory facilities. A high-risk mission to reach the town of Boulder, deep within the danger zone, is their only option.
There’s a lot of hard-working exposition in the opening minutes, but the intrepid trio of travellers who set off are reasonably well drawn, and there are some sparky exchanges between them – exposing jealousy, regret and self-doubt. The Reapers are a serviceable design – part lizard, part rhino, part armadillo and all killer – and are framed and shot sufficiently obliquely to keep them intriguing. The set pieces involving a ski lift, a mining complex, and an abandoned city block are well-shot and accompanied by a punchy musical score. The film’s premise inevitably invites comparison with Tremors, A Quiet Place or War of the Worlds, but while Elevation spends much of its denouement setting out its sequel and franchise ambitions, it fails to reach the same heights. This is, though, an efficient, no-nonsense monster romp that – while it’s pretty derivative plot-wise – is eminently watchable.
ELEVATION is available on Blu-ray and DVD from August 11th.
