The concept of an evil doppelganger has been a feeble plot device of B-movie thrillers for so long now that it's a little surprising--what with all the headline-news advances in microbiology of late--that it has taken Hollywood this long to crank out a connect-the-dots, spooky-child cloning concoction such as Godsend. Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos play grieving parents led down the primrose path of DNA duplication by a secretive scientist (Robert De Niro), only to discover that something's definitely amiss with the identical replacement for their dead son (deliberately hollow-eyed Cameron Bright). His sleepwalking and night terrors lead to possible possession and axe-wielding (while the soundtrack claps unpredictably with orchestral thunder designed to make you jump out of your seat). While not entirely predictable, the movie's pseudo-scientific plot twists are still so flimsy that one has to wonder how this undemanding, overextended, lesser-Twilight Zone script attracted such a talented cast. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Nick Hamm and cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau, four alternate endings with optional commentary by Hamm and writer Mark Bomback, two storyboard segments, and trailers. Bottom line: a so-so extras package for an undistinguished thriller.] (R. Blackwelder)
Godsend
Lions Gate, 102 min., PG-13, VHS: $49.99, DVD: $26.98, Aug. 17 Volume 19, Issue 5
Godsend
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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