This dystopia is basically Logan’s Run multiplied by negative-1. At around twenty-five years of age, citizens get a treatment that freezes their aging, making them immortal. Unfortunately, it also makes them boring. Then are is also regular maintenance that dulls their sensation of life and keeps them compliant. However, there is a small resistance group that wants to live, even if it means they will inevitably die in Tony Aloupis’s I Am Mortal, which is now available on DVD and BluRay.
Apparently, the supposedly benevolent “Pilot” really has done away with death, but he doesn’t seem like the type to give up on taxes. The esteemed social engineer has determined Logos is about to reach his full potential, so he will get the vaccine soon. Yet, he has his doubts. Soon the underground approaches him, so he obviously wasn’t too subtle about it. Armaros, Pilot’s secret police chief is a little suspicious of their meeting, so he recruits true-believing Akae to snoop on him. She too is about to the gift of immortality, so she pretends to share Logos’s doubts.
Rather inconveniently, Akae converts to Logos’s way of thinking just after she betrays him, so now she is desperate to save him. The wary underground also hopes to find some trace of Pilot’s disillusioned partner in the development of his treatment, to find more information on his reversal process.
Mortal’s youthful ensemble could have walked out of half a dozen other late-teen dystopia franchises, which was probably the producers’ hope, so mission accomplished. They look like we’ve seen them before, but there are a few original ideas in Aloupis’s screenplay. Perhaps the biggest and most welcome surprise is the spiritual dimension to the resistance. Although they never use explicit Christian terminology, there is a clear implication that a God-centered universe gives meaning to life, along with its finite ending. It is not as bold a statement as Rod Serling’s “The Obsolete Man” episode of The Twilight Zone (which ought to be a favorite among Evangelicals), but it is certainly notable for its era and genre.
Sean Gunn (brother of James, and his personal Doug Jones in his superhero movies) tries to bring some melancholy to the overlord Pilot, which adds a bit complexity. The kids are a bit bland, but generally they are alright. Perhaps the most recognizable cast-member is John Harlan Kim, who is great playing Agent Park in Nancy Drew, but Armaros is not some of his best work.
Regardless, Mortal somewhat exceeds expectations. It is better than most Hunger Games clones, but lacks of the style of the better good-looking, youthful films in the genre (such as Equals). Its totally watchable, but you should definitely revisit “Obsolete Man” sometime soon. For teens who still think dystopia is new, I Am Mortal is now available on DVD and BluRay.