Josh Feldman's “SENN”

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

The look and feel of this independently produced sci-fi film are impressive especially when compared with so much of the cheaply produced post-apocalyptic junk now available via Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Senn transcends its low-budget roots and tackles a mainstream sci-fi premise with elegance, intelligence,  original special effects and music, and excellent production values that include extensive alien signage and lettering.

The story begins on a planet where human slaves are part of a vast intergalactic network of planets where daily drudgery consists of endless assembly-line work and evil overseers. Just when the viewer starts fearing that Senn is going to be another low-budget Star Wars clone, a giant spaceship appears in the sky and whisks Senn and his girlfriend away.

He possesses, he is informed by his rescuer/captor, the ability to see into a multidimensional puzzle they have been unable to crack. There is great danger involved in solving the puzzle, he is told, but isn’t this better than his former life of monotonous servitude?

The special effects, production design, and photography in this little gem are superb. In some ways it attempts to address some of the same cosmic time/space travel concepts of the massively more expensive Interstellar.

Where it falls down, unfortunately,  is in the acting, which is not always convincing.

I think it’s possible to look beyond that to see a total package that makes the most of its resources. The views of the giant spaceship as it travels between the stars are beautiful as are the frequent views of the shifting multidimensional entity being pursued. Plus, the characters are likable and behave naturally even when placed in outrageous situations; there’s also a lack of gratuitous violence.

This is a fun and interesting movie!

Movie review copyright (c) 2015 by Dennis D. McDonald