As I write, I am currently approx 3/4 through the movie and am enjoying it, so far. Perhaps it will be over and I can completely review, but the one thought that has played out in my mind consistently is that it's very much like watching a live action Resident Evil (but better than the Resident Evil movie,) or some other survival horror genre game/film. How this movie DIDN'T become a video game is actually a surprise to me. The atmosphere, story, characters, voice overs, this movie SCREAMS video game. Especially with the amount of cut-scenes they seem to possess now.The story is good, the main characters are likable, the setting is dark (it IS underground after all,) and the score is a perfect fit. Maybe there is an underlying political, or philosophical statement being told, I really don't know. I think some people like to look way too deep into some things. But at face value, it's a good movie to check out if you like sci-fi...or games. Realize what you are getting into before watching, relax and enjoy the ride. Maybe even hold a game controller (or keyboard and mouse if you're a PC gamer) and enjoy the ride.The ending...it is what it is...no spoilers here.

Looking at the other reviews, this is obviously a Marmite film, you will either love it or hate it. One thing is absolutely certain, you won't understand what's happening at first - you're not meant to. As the making-of documentary explains, you're looking at what's happening through the eyes of the main character and you only ever know as much about the world he finds himself in as he does. If you feel bewildered and a little lost at first, that's a sign of how well directed it is, because that's what you're supposed to feel. If you like films with clear, obvious (boring) A-B-C story lines, where everything is spelled out for you, you may not like this so much. However, if you like thought-provoking films that use different storytelling techniques, you should enjoy it. In a way, it is a similar storytelling style to some Japanese anime films where what the story is about is only revealed bit-by-bit. It is a visually stunning film which has clearly been influenced by dungeon-like role playing games. Yes it's enigmatic and puzzling, but a film doesn't have to be easily understood to be good - think of 2001 A Space Odyssey, for instance.

I just had to write a review of this after reading so many positive ones. The score this film gets is actually flattering. The positive reviews are hilarious!Spoilers ahead (as far as there is any plot to be spoiled)A guy wakes up in a cave, covered in mud, not remembering who he is. This scene takes long, has flashing lights and is very dark. He climbs to the ground from level -4 and the plot unfolds as he ascends.Some of the scenery looks nice but everything is too vague and disorientating. A lot looks like cheap building material (pipes, ropes, low tech stuff not befitting to the 'lab' he is supposedly in).The guy goes unconscious for four or five times, I lost count. He keeps walking towards lights but never arrives at them. You keep hoping the next scene will be a bit lighter but it never is. I could not really tell whether it was black and white or color because at this darkness there is no real difference.There are some interesting things in the plot... but the problem is there hardly is any plot at all. Let alone dialog, the guy hardly ever speaks. Even if you like long, dark, boring movies that have no plot or dialog about guys fumbling around in caves forever, you still should not watch this movie. And everyone giving a move that they had to fast-forward through a score over 3 is crazy!

While I do admire several things about this movie, namely the excellent sets and creature make-up effects, I don't think that there is really enough revealed to result in a coherent story line. Yes, if you read through other comments on this site you will come across countless reviews that seem to indicate that "the only people who don't like this movie are those who are not intelligent enough to get it" and that there is "more than enough information revealed throughout the film to explain the goings on" or some such nonsense. I think we can all appreciate the idea here; our main character is an amnesiac lost in a frightening and surreal (and dangerous) subterranean world. By deliberately refusing to reveal key background information, the director keeps us on the same intellectual level as the character; i.e. we can better relate because we as an audience are also in the dark. That's the concept in a nutshell. If you don't like the sounds of it, I would suggest you rent something else. If you do decide to check it out, however, there are some very interesting ideas in the film.One of the questions this film asks is to what extent humans can become comfortable with exploiting other humans, perhaps even to what extent the exploited come to view the exploitation as normal or deserved. If Utopia is possible for the few at the expense of the many, is utopia an ethical pursuit? What is the value of a single human life? Do we treat people as an expendable commodity? This is not a film that is devoid of substance or merit, it merely suffers from a style that most will not find comfortable and familiar.If nothing else, it is quite a film to look at. I found that the sets invoked a cyber-punk quality, a sort of analog nightmare straight out of "Brazil". A pervasive greyness punctuated by blinding white light. The light itself rarely illuminates nearly as much as it obscures (a metaphor for ethical blindness in the futuristic society perhaps...).If you're feeling a little adventurous and you've got the patience to endure the constant guessing game, give it a whirl.