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The Subjects: The Best ‘Superhero’ Movie You’ve Probably Never Seen

The subjects movie review

It doesn’t have the big budget of The Avengers or The Dark Knight and there aren’t any Earth-hating Gods or aliens, but 2015’s The Subjects does bring a unique angle to the question “what superpower would you want to have?” 

When seven people – oh wait… 8 people (ya gotta watch that Phil fellow) – show up for a clinical drug trial, they have no idea what’s in store for them. The door locks, the clock starts counting down, and it’s only a matter of minutes before those from opposite sides of the tracks begin to clash. When one of them starts experiencing some rather unpleasant side-effects, to say the least, tension in the room gets cranked up a thousand degrees. However, once Jenna (Emily Wheaton) suddenly begins exhibiting the ability to teleport and after a few minutes seems to be able to control it, the mood changes. At least for a couple of minutes.

No Big Stars or Giant Budget

There aren’t any big name actors here, the only one I recognized was Lily, played by Charlotte Nicdao and I only recognized her because she played Sif in Thor: Ragnarok. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Frank Magree in something else where he played a part almost identical to his character in this movie, but a look through his resume didn’t reveal where I know him from. It’s not an expensive set, the bulk of the movie takes place in a single room, and there’s nothing special with the effects, but I enjoyed this movie quite a lot.

I generally have a different view on a lot of movies, I happen to think The Crow with the late Brandon Lee is the greatest love story ever told and that Billy Bob Thornton is one of the most, if not the most, versatile actors in Hollywood, but I digress. I usually can enjoy any movie regardless of budget or star power as long as the story is unique enough. Which The Subjects certainly is. 

The psychological aspect of locking seven pill-popping strangers – damnit Phil – eight pill-popping strangers in a room for eight hours when they know their every move is being watched, is fun to observe even when the dialogue, acting, or special-effects is lapsing. As more and more of the subjects began to spawn their superpowers you’ll find yourself trying to figure out who is next, what the heck is really going on, who in the hell is Phil, and what the heck is up with Cory.

Manage Your Expectations, Of Course

Expect the unexpected and don’t set the bar too high on this one, and it’s a fun little movie. There are some good laughs peppered throughout and at times you could cut the tension with a knife, but this is one that even my significant other enjoyed. I’m not sure if it’s available on the streaming services or VOD, I purchased it through my Xbox quite a while back and just watched it again over the weekend, so thought I would share this somewhat unknown gem.

Now this has an NR rating and while there isn’t any nudity, there is some pretty strong language and quite a bit of blood. So you might want to skip seeing this one with the kiddos and maybe watch it in your currently empty Game of Thrones watching time.

Do you have a little-to-un-known movie that we should check out? Have you seen The Subjects and agree or disagree with the article? Leave a comment below and let us know.

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