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Movie Review - Nemesis Game (2003)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Jesse Warn |
| Starring: |
Carly Pope, Adrian Paul, Brendan Fehr, Ian McShane, and Rena Owen |
| Rated: |
R (for language) |
| Length: |
92 minutes |
| Genre: |
Thriller |
| Tagline: |
The only thing more terrifying then playing it ... is winning. |
| Studio: |
Lions Gate |
| Website: |
IMDb Listing |
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PLOT
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Sara Novak (Carly Pope) is a sexy college gal who is trying to make sense out of life's questions. A recent
tragedy in her life has caused her to become more contemplative, and in Vern (Adrian Paul), she seems
to have found a friend who shares her passion for mind games and riddles.
When Sara starts anonymously receiving riddles, she begins to solve them and follow where the clues lead.
However, when death is introduced into the equation, Sara and Vern quickly realize that this isn't a
harmless game they're playing, and solving the puzzles might not provide the answers they're seeking. An
intriguing, yet sometimes frustrating, mind-bender of a movie ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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There's a good chance that you've never even heard of this movie. And it's one I just happened to
come across while flipping channels one day. I'm happy to say the movie is much better than I expected.
After all, it's easy to not expect much from a straight-to-video, low budget, independent movie. I've
gotta give everybody credit for making a solid attempt at offering the viewer something different in the
thriller genre. This was a pleasant surprise.
The plot is told through a series of riddles. You see, a riddle is written somewhere (a subway wall,
on the ground in a parking lot, etc). If you answer the question correctly, then it leads you to the
next clue. Some of the riddles are interesting, while others are a little cheesy. For example, here's
an old one: when is a door not a door? When it's ajar. Get it? Then there's a door in the subway that
is slightly open, so Carly goes through it to find her next clue. Overall, the use of the riddles to
carry the plot is an interesting concept that keeps the mystery alive.
All of this goes back to an old legend regarding a Buddhist monk called Nemesis. He left the
monastery and went to search for the meaning of life. He supposedly discovered that there is a grand
design in life, and everybody has a part to play. Nemesis came to the conclusion that death is part
of the design, and it doesn't matter who or what causes the death. Is an earthquake evil because it
kills? Is a tornado evil because it kills? Nemesis believed that similarly, a human isn't evil if he
kills; it's just a part of his nature. Sure thing, freako.
Anyway, there were plenty of wackos who followed Nemesis' theory. The legend further states that if
you solve enough riddles you'll eventually get to one final riddle, and if you answer it, then you'll
be shown "The Design." But once you see "The Design," then you have to do your part to carry it out,
and that may include killing.
This set up is enough to keep you intrigued the entire way. Who is leaving the riddles? What exactly
is "The Design"? How do all the characters relate to each other? Why are these particular people being
given the riddles? How do certain characters know about the life history of other characters? How
exactly is each character trying to carry out "The Design"? Is Brendan Fehr the long lost brother of
David Duchovny? These are just a few of the questions that were running through my head during the
movie. And I'd sure like to tell you I now know all the answers to them, but unfortunately, A LOT OF
THE QUESTIONS WERE NEVER ANSWERED!!!! And therein lies my main gripe.
The movie ends very abruptly and in an unsatisfactory fashion. At the end I looked at Stephanie and
asked, "So do you know what that was all about?" She replied, "Why, do you?" Obviously, we were both
trying to hide our cluelessness. I said, "I'm kind of confused as to what the deal was." Then she
responded that she was about as clueless as I was.
So I jumped on the IMDb message board and read through everybody's theories. The general consensus is
that no one knows exactly what happened. All we've got is a bunch of theories. I went back and
rewatched certain parts, and this helped me understand a couple of things better, but there are still
a couple of GAPING HOLES in the story. The movie flows at a swift pace, but it falls into the "figure
it out for yourself" mode and provides no definite answers. And boy is it frustrating. Come on, I
WANT CLOSURE!
My guess is the director really wanted viewers to fill in some of the blanks on their own. That's cute
and all, but I'd like a little more explanation. Oh well, if you can handle a little frustration, then
you'll enjoy the ride for the most part. It's definitely one that'll have you talking afterwards.
If you're a guy, then Carly Pope and her beautifully smooth skin will definitely hold your interest.
I hope to see her in bigger roles soon.
I'm gonna recommend this as a rental because I want everybody to email me so we can discuss theories.
Get some friends together on a late rainy night, turn the lights off, and try not to let the loose ends
annoy you too much.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Originally titled Paper, Scissors, Stone.
- You may remember Carly Pope from the old WB series Popular.
- Adrian Paul played Duncan MacLeod on the Highlander series.
- Brendan Fehr is the guy who looks like a young David Duchovny and played Michael Guerin on the WB's
Roswell. Rumor has it that Duchovny and Fehr once met, and Duchovny asked him if he was the
"kid who's supposed to look like me."
- This was filmed on a $3,000,000 budget and much like your typical Stephen Baldwin movie it went
straight to video.
- Carly Pope was in Snow Day with Jean Smart who was in Sweet Home Alabama with
Josh Lucas who was in Coastlines with Josh Brolin who was in The Hollow Man with
Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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The content really isn't that bad. There a couple of "f" words, and there's a short scene with some scantily
clad strippers, but for the most part this is PG-13 material. We see a couple of deaths, but the gore is kept
at a minimum. This isn't ideal for kids though because it's not likely they'll want to engage their minds long
enough to keep up with the story.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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The trailer does a great job of grabbing your interest, but it shows you a little more than it should.
If you're paying close attention, then a couple of things you see could end up being spoilers for you.
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THE GIST
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If you like movies that will give you a few thrills and make you think then Nemesis Game is a solid
rental. However, I must warn you that your frustration level is bound to be quite high after the
inexplicable ending. If you absolutely cannot stand movies that are left open for personal interpretation,
then this may prove to be a little too annoying for your tastes. Otherwise, engage your brain and
see if you can figure out the puzzle.
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