Movie Review - Self/less

Self/less ** (out of 5) (PG-13) Ben Kingsley plays a character who is what Donald Trump thinks he is - the smartest and richest guy in the room. He built a financial empire primarily from construction and high-end real estate. But his demise is imminent from a disease that’s ravaging his body, while leaving his mind intact. He learns of a unique opportunity, known only to a select few. A doctor invented the means to transfer his brain into a newly-minted body (Ryan Reynolds), like dubbing a VHS tape onto a blank DVD. The upgrade means immortality, or at least extreme longevity, for our best and brightest minds that simply outlasted their vessels.

Some groundwork must be laid for the deal to work. Since there would be no way to explain how Ben suddenly un-aged 30 years, he first must divert enough assets to pay the doc and support his new identity, convincingly fake his death, and spend the rest of his days far from anyone he’d known that might discover his secret. He’s also dependent on regular doses of a medication that prevents his new body from rejecting the inserted mind and memories.

If that all seems too good to be true, at least for those who can afford it, that’s because it is. After a euphoric beginning, certain side effects and other complications start raising unsettling questions about the legitimacy of this process and the motives of its creator. Most of the film involves those, so I must omit the details. The story unfolds with a reasonable amount of action and twists, though it drags in places. That can become especially problematic in sci-fi tales based on time travel or other far-fetched premises. If the director doesn’t keep the characters and plot points moving, viewers’ minds can wander off-topic, and wonder inconsistencies or logical lapses. For example - hasn’t Sir Ben Kingsley’s eminent brain earned the rights to the body of a better actor? (7/10/15)