The Thirteenth Floor

It would be kinder just to think of The Thirteenth Floor as a case of bad timing, since it followed The Matrix, Open Your Eyes and eXistenZ into theaters with a head-tripping virtual reality story. Except for the fact that such kindness isn't warranted in the face of the film's ridiculous self-importance. The story centers around a virtual reality researcher (Craig Bierko) who discovers that the characters in a computer recreation of 1937 Los Angeles have developed self-awareness, and may be trying to escape from the program. The filmmakers apparently want to create a compelling existential crisis as Bierko's character begins to question his own reality, but we never get enough background to make his dilemma compelling. Instead, the plot shuffles forward without a whiff of real character drama, grinding through its themes as though they were medicinally good for you instead of the stuff of paperback novels. I can imagine an alternate reality where filmmakers decide that there's nothing more to say about alternate realities for a while…and it's a better place than this. Not recommended. (S. Renshaw)[Blu-ray Review—Mar. 31, 2009—Sony, 100 min., R, $28.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1999's The Thirteenth Floor features a nice transfer and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by co-writer/director Josef Rusnak and production designer Kirk M. Petruccelli, the music video “Erase/Rewind” performed by the Cardigans, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a forgettable would-be mindbender.]