I've been having an ongoing conversation with a friend of mine who has conflicting comments about specific episodes of Stargate Atlantis when the rare gems of hard scifi scripts appear. This film is like one of those episodes.It is rare to see a good script turned into something with stars, cash and the promotion behind it. This particular Baldwin is most definitely a blockbuster actor and I don't feel the 'family curse' extends to him. With more money you might feel this movie could be right up there on the billboards. Unfortunately it is hard scifi and the masses wouldn't cope with it. They want the softer, soapier stories and if that is what gets the blanket scifi genre out there as a viable product, so be it.But every so often, there comes a tvseries or film that gives us hard scifi fans so much enjoyment that we collect together and make our views known. This film has its faults. The soundtrack feels separated from the lacking environmental sounds, the ending seems a bit rushed. There are many things that could be done better and a lot of these things appear to be to do with camera angles/direction and timings of specific shots/scenes.We don't say everyone must immediately watch this or that DVD. We are here however unanimous in saying, "Control Factor is a gem of a movie for the hard scifi crowd and not to be missed even with its faults!"

I decided to record this movie when it appeared on the Space channel only because I noted that its lead was Adam Baldwin, an actor whose work I enjoy more each time I see him. I had not counted on discovering a disturbing, even frightening, vision of conspiracy. With the ever reliable Tony Todd and John Neville as well as the surprising talent of the lovely Elizabeth Berkley, this film was a definite winner. This is true horror, of the variety of the first Matrix movie with overtones of X-Files or of Conspiracy Theory. I found myself caring about the characters and experiencing that eye-widening fearful tension of watching an average man caught in a strange and hopeless situation. Kudos to the writer, director and actors. Truly a gem of a motion picture.

Another variation on the popular mind control theme, and a good one, with a strong expressionist leaning in kind of a somewhat De-Palma-esquire style. Emphasis on action and suspense amplified by a battery of artful shooting tricks.The story is simple, but good enough. Excellent photo and sequencing, nice acting by Baldwin and Berkley in their not very difficult roles, some good surprises. Flawless job, a bit thin, a bit unrealistic, no masterpiece, but a show of professional craftsmanship a good measure above average. And - Elizabeth Berkleys nice look IS an asset to count on - after all, movies a-r-e for watching, aren't they?So, the technically high quality of the film makes it an effective opportunity to meditate on the philosophy of Free Will, and on it's political implications. There are no obstacles for the engaged watchers to supply some subtleties themselves by creative reflection. This good entertainment does not lack substance.

Control Factor is one of those films that makes you wonder. "What if a big name director took this project under their wing?" I asked myself. Sadly that didn't happen but what the resulting film still makes one of the best movie of the weeks i've ever seen. Nelson did a great job with the budget and the movie turned out to be a quickly paced thriller that has an actual theme (sadly unlike most of Sci Fi channels "saturday action" originals.) Adam Baldwin, Tony Todd and Elizabeth Berkley did a wonderful job and their was not a bad role acting wise in the entire movie. While the movie lacked some action (probably due to it's tight budget) it did provide some bang, a few nice visuals and was compelling right up until the end. In the end if your looking for a decent sci-fi thriller and this is on, your search has ended.