The Anomaly: Difference between revisions

The Anomaly
The Anomaly
	Film poster
Directed by	Noel Clarke
Written by	Simon Lewis
Produced by	James Harris; Mark Lane; Noel Clarke;
Starring	Noel Clarke; Ian Somerhalder; Brian Cox; Alexis Knapp;
Cinematography	David Katznelson
Edited by	Tommy Boulding
Music by	Tom Linden
Production; companies	Unstoppable Entertainment; The Tea Shop & Film Co.;
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	19 June 2014 (EIFF); 4 July 2014 (United Kingdom);
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Box office	£11.6 million

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The Anomaly is a 2014 British science fiction action film co-produced and directed by Noel Clarke, who also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars Ian Somerhalder and Luke Hemsworth. The film was panned by critics. This is Somerhalder's final acting film before his retirement in 2024.

Plot

Ex-soldier Ryan Reeve wakes up in the back of a moving van^[1] next to a young tied-up boy, Alex, who is being held prisoner. Strangely, the boy seems to think Reeve is the kidnapper though he has no memory of ever having seen the boy before, and looking at his watch, he last remembered it being six months previously. After freeing the boy, making a run for it, and attempting to figure out what has happened to him, all he remembers is being at a facility treating his severe PTSD. As one of their pursuers catches up to them, suddenly he blacks out again and awakes in a room with a mysterious young man (same as before) named Harkin Langham, who seems to think he is someone else.

When Langham discovers who he really is, he disables Reeve and knocks him out. Reeve then wakes up in a mysterious bedroom having sex with a beautiful young woman. She identifies herself as a prostitute named Dana, who seems to remember meeting and engaging in sexual activity with a much more violent and sociopathic version of Reeve. He tries to explain his predicament, but she remains skeptical. He asks her to come with him, but she says she cannot leave as she is the "property" of a Russian gangster named Sergio. Reeve offers to free her if she will help him solve the mystery that his life has become. The two manage to escape, but Reeve again loses consciousness when the mind control system reboots and again Langham catches up to him.

He must work out what is happening in bursts of exactly nine minutes and forty-seven seconds, as the control and conscious awareness of his body are repeatedly being hijacked and shuffled through different scenarios by person/s unknown. He teams up with Dana as he battles a conspiracy in mind control known as "Anomaly" led by Langham. Langham, meanwhile, urges him to stop fighting it, as it has nothing to do with him, however, he is convinced otherwise.

Cast

Noel Clarke as Pvt. Ryan Reeve/Anomaly #66
Alexis Knapp as Dana
Brian Cox as Dr. Francis Langham
Ian Somerhalder as Agent Harkin Langham/Anomaly #X
Rachael Jowett as Margaret
Luke Hemsworth as Agent Richard Elkin/Anomaly #13
Ali Cook as Agent Travis/Anomaly #97^[2]
Art Parkinson as Alex
John Schwab as Harrison Samuel
Michael Bisping as Sergio

Production

The film was produced in the United Kingdom in 2013. Clarke performed his own stunts, modifying his diet and receiving fight training for the purpose.^[3]

Distribution

The first official trailer was released on 19 April 2014. The film was shown at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2014^[4]^[5] and entered general release in the UK and the Republic of Ireland through Universal Pictures on 4 July.^[6]

Reception

The film was unanimously panned by critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 0% based on 17 reviews,^[7] making it the worst reviewed British film of 2014. On Metacritic, it has a score of 27 out of 100 from 7 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".^[8] Mark Kermode of The Observer called it "ambitious but uneven".^[9] Other critics described it as "hilariously naff science-fiction mularkey"^[10] and "a peculiar Brit flick best described as a noble failure"^[11] and referred to "tangled conception and tortuously opaque execution"^[5] and to "meag[re] rewards for those willing to endure its laborious convolutions".^[4]

References

^ Jake Perlman, "'The Anomaly' trailer: Noe sci-fi action thriller", Inside Movies, Entertainment Weekly, 16 April 2014.
^ Nathalie Raffray, "Magician Ali Cook turns spy for Noel Clarke’s The Anomaly", Ham & High, 10 July 2014.
^ "Noel Clarke gave up pizzas for The Anomaly", Belfast Telegraph, 6 July 2014 (video).
^ ^a ^b Neil Young, "'The Anomaly': Edinburgh Review", The Hollywood Reporter, 18 June 2014.
^ ^a ^b Guy Lodge, "Film Review: 'The Anomaly': Derivative and incomprehensible, Noel Clarke's shoestring sci-fi actioner doesn't live up to its title", Variety, 17 June 2014.
^ "'The Anomaly': Noel Clarke fights time in sci-fi puzzle", cinema, Euronews, 7 July 2014.
^ "The Anomaly (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
^ "The Anomaly". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
^ Mark Kermode, "The Anomaly review – ambitious but uneven sci-fi romp", The Observer, 5 July 2014.
^ Allan Hunter, "The Anomaly: Cringe-worthy confusion paying homage to all sci-fi films", The Express, 4 July 2014.
^ David Edwards, "The Anomaly review: Noel Clarke delivers a peculiar film best described as a noble failure", The Mirror, 4 July 2014.

External links

The Anomaly at IMDb
The Anomaly at Rotten Tomatoes

[1] Jake Perlman, "'The Anomaly' trailer: Noe sci-fi action thriller", Inside Movies, Entertainment Weekly, 16 April 2014.

[2] Nathalie Raffray, "Magician Ali Cook turns spy for Noel Clarke’s The Anomaly", Ham & High, 10 July 2014.

[3] "Noel Clarke gave up pizzas for The Anomaly", Belfast Telegraph, 6 July 2014 (video).

[HR-4] Neil Young, "'The Anomaly': Edinburgh Review", The Hollywood Reporter, 18 June 2014.

[Variety-5] Guy Lodge, "Film Review: 'The Anomaly': Derivative and incomprehensible, Noel Clarke's shoestring sci-fi actioner doesn't live up to its title", Variety, 17 June 2014.

[Euro-6] "'The Anomaly': Noel Clarke fights time in sci-fi puzzle", cinema, Euronews, 7 July 2014.

[7] "The Anomaly (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 12 January 2021.

[8] "The Anomaly". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 October 2015.

[9] Mark Kermode, "The Anomaly review – ambitious but uneven sci-fi romp", The Observer, 5 July 2014.

[10] Allan Hunter, "The Anomaly: Cringe-worthy confusion paying homage to all sci-fi films", The Express, 4 July 2014.

[11] David Edwards, "The Anomaly review: Noel Clarke delivers a peculiar film best described as a noble failure", The Mirror, 4 July 2014.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{About||the novel|The Anomaly (novel)|the Five Nights at Freddy's character|William Afton}}
 {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
 {{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
 {{Infobox film
 | name           = The Anomaly
-| image          =
+| image          = The Anomaly poster.jpg
-| caption        = British theatrical poster
+| caption        = Film poster
 | director       = [[Noel Clarke]]
 | producer       = {{plainlist|
@@ Line 12: / Line 14: @@
 }}
 | writer         = {{plainlist|
-[[Simon Lewis (writer)|Simon Lewis]]<br />Noel Clarke
+[[Simon Lewis (writer)|Simon Lewis]]
 }}
 | starring       = {{plainlist|
@@ Line 23: / Line 25: @@
 | cinematography = David Katznelson
 | editing        = Tommy Boulding
-| production companies = {{plainlist|
+| production_companies = {{plainlist|
 *Unstoppable Entertainment
-*The Tea Shop
+*The Tea Shop & Film Co.
-*Film Co.
 }}
 | distributor    = [[Universal Pictures]]
-| released       = {{film date|df=yes|2014|06|19|Edinburgh International Film Festival|2014|07|04}}
+| released       = {{film date|df=yes|2014|06|19|[[Edinburgh International Film Festival|EIFF]]|2014|07|04|United Kingdom}}
 | runtime        = 97 minutes
 | country        = United Kingdom
 | language       = English
 | budget         =
 | gross          = £11.6 million
 }}
-'''''The Anomaly''''' is a 2014 British [[science fiction film|science fiction]] [[action thriller]] film directed and co-produced by and starring [[Noel Clarke]] and also featuring [[Ian Somerhalder]] and [[Luke Hemsworth]].
+'''''The Anomaly''''' is a 2014 British [[science fiction film|science fiction]] [[action film]] co-produced and directed by [[Noel Clarke]], who also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars [[Ian Somerhalder]] and [[Luke Hemsworth]]. The film was panned by critics. This is Somerhalder's final acting film before his retirement in 2024.
 ==Plot==
-The film is set in a futuristic setting, where significant advances in science and technology have been made.  Ex-soldier Ryan Reeve ([[Noel Clarke]]) wakes up in the back of a van<ref>Jake Perlman, [http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/04/16/the-anomaly-trailer/ "'The Anomaly' trailer: Noe sci-fi action thriller"], Inside Movies, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', 16 April 2014.</ref> next to a young boy, Alex ([[Art Parkinson]]), who is being held prisoner.  Strangely, the boy seems to think he is the kidnapper though he has no memory of ever having seen the boy before.  After freeing the boy and attempting to figure out what has happened to him, he blacks out again and awakes in a room with a mysterious young man named Harkin Langham([[Ian Somerhalder]]), who seems to think he is someone else.
+Ex-soldier Ryan Reeve wakes up in the back of a moving van<ref>Jake Perlman, [http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/04/16/the-anomaly-trailer/ "'The Anomaly' trailer: Noe sci-fi action thriller"], Inside Movies, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', 16 April 2014.</ref> next to a young tied-up boy, Alex, who is being held prisoner. Strangely, the boy seems to think Reeve is the kidnapper though he has no memory of ever having seen the boy before, and looking at his watch, he last remembered it being six months previously. After freeing the boy, making a run for it, and attempting to figure out what has happened to him, all he remembers is being at a facility treating his severe [[PTSD]]. As one of their pursuers catches up to them, suddenly he blacks out again and awakes in a room with a mysterious young man (same as before) named Harkin Langham, who seems to think he is someone else.
-When Langham discovers who he really is, he disables Reeve and knocks him out.  Reeve then wakes up in a mysterious bedroom having sex with a beautiful young woman ([[Alexis Knapp]]).  The girl identifies herself as a prostitute named Dana, seems to remember meeting and engaging in sexual activity with a much more violent and sociopathic version of Reeve.  She is at first skeptical when he tries to explain his predicament.  He asks her to come with him, but she says she cannot leave as she is the "property" of a Russian gangster named Sergio.  Reeve offers to free her if she will help him solve the mystery that his life has become.  The two do escape, but Reeve later loses consciousness again when the mind control system reboots.
+When Langham discovers who he really is, he disables Reeve and knocks him out. Reeve then wakes up in a mysterious bedroom having sex with a beautiful young woman. She identifies herself as a prostitute named Dana, who seems to remember meeting and engaging in sexual activity with a much more violent and sociopathic version of Reeve.  He tries to explain his predicament, but she remains skeptical. He asks her to come with him, but she says she cannot leave as she is the "property" of a Russian gangster named Sergio. Reeve offers to free her if she will help him solve the mystery that his life has become. The two manage to escape, but Reeve again loses consciousness when the mind control system reboots and again Langham catches up to him.
-He must work out what is happening in bursts of exactly nine minutes and forty-seven seconds, as the control and conscious awareness of his body is repeatedly being hijacked by another person. He teams up with the mysterious "Dana" ([[Alexis Knapp]]) as he battles a conspiracy known as "Anomaly" led by Harkin Langham ([[Ian Somerhalder]]).
+He must work out what is happening in bursts of exactly nine minutes and forty-seven seconds, as the control and conscious awareness of his body are repeatedly being hijacked and shuffled through different scenarios by person/s unknown. He teams up with Dana as he battles a conspiracy in mind control known as "Anomaly" led by Langham. Langham, meanwhile, urges him to stop fighting it, as it has nothing to do with him, however, he is convinced otherwise.
 ==Cast==
 *[[Noel Clarke]] as Pvt. Ryan Reeve/Anomaly #66
 *[[Alexis Knapp]] as Dana
-*[[Brian Cox (actor)|Brian Cox]] as Dr. Lloyd Langham
+*[[Brian Cox (actor)|Brian Cox]] as Dr. Francis Langham
 *[[Ian Somerhalder]] as Agent Harkin Langham/Anomaly #X
 *Rachael Jowett as Margaret
@@ Line 55: / Line 56: @@
 *[[Ali Cook]] as Agent Travis/Anomaly #97<ref>Nathalie Raffray, [http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/entertainment/cinema-film/magician_ali_cook_turns_spy_for_noel_clarke_s_the_anomaly_1_3673853 "Magician Ali Cook turns spy for Noel Clarke’s The Anomaly"], ''[[Ham & High]]'', 10 July 2014.</ref>
 *[[Art Parkinson]] as Alex
+*[[John Schwab]] as Harrison Samuel
+*[[Michael Bisping]] as Sergio
 ==Production==
@@ Line 60: / Line 63: @@
 ==Distribution==
-The first official trailer was released on 19 April 2014. The film was shown at the [[Edinburgh Film Festival]] in June 2014<ref name=HR>Neil Young, [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/film-review-anomaly-712265 "'The Anomaly': Edinburgh Review"], ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'', 18 June 2014.</ref><ref name=Variety/> and entered general release in the UK and the Republic of Ireland through [[Universal Pictures]] on 4 July.<ref name=Euro>[http://www.euronews.com/2014/07/07/the-anomaly-noel-clarke-s-race-against-time-in-sci-fi-puzzle/ "'The Anomaly': Noel Clarke fights time in sci-fi puzzle"], cinema, [[Euronews]], 7 July 2014.</ref>
+The first official trailer was released on 19 April 2014. The film was shown at the [[Edinburgh International Film Festival]] in June 2014<ref name=HR>Neil Young, [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/film-review-anomaly-712265 "'The Anomaly': Edinburgh Review"], ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'', 18 June 2014.</ref><ref name=Variety/> and entered general release in the UK and the Republic of Ireland through [[Universal Pictures]] on 4 July.<ref name=Euro>[http://www.euronews.com/2014/07/07/the-anomaly-noel-clarke-s-race-against-time-in-sci-fi-puzzle/ "'The Anomaly': Noel Clarke fights time in sci-fi puzzle"], cinema, [[Euronews]], 7 July 2014.</ref>
 ==Reception==
-The film was unanimously panned by critics, with a [[Rotten Tomatoes]] approval rating of 0% based on 16 reviews,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_anomaly/ |title=''The Anomaly'' |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]/[[Flixster]] |accessdate=2015-08-18}}</ref> making it the worst reviewed British film of 2014. On [[Metacritic]], it has a score of 27 out of 100 from 7 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-anomaly |title=The Anomaly |work=Metacritic |accessdate=11 October 2015}}</ref> [[Mark Kermode]] of ''[[The Observer]]'' called it "ambitious but uneven".<ref>[[Mark Kermode]], [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/06/the-anomaly-review-noel-clarke-brian-cox "The Anomaly review – ambitious but uneven sci-fi romp"], ''[[The Observer]]'', 5 July 2014.</ref> Other critics described it as "hilariously naff science-fiction mularkey"<ref>Allan Hunter, [http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/486332/Noel-Clarke-film-The-Anomaly-review-and-trailer "The Anomaly: Cringe-worthy confusion paying homage to all sci-fi films"], ''[[Daily Express|The Express]]'', 4 July 2014.</ref> and "a peculiar Brit flick best described as a noble failure"<ref>David Edwards, [http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-reviews/anomaly-review-noel-clarke-delivers-3805162 "The Anomaly review: Noel Clarke delivers a peculiar film best described as a noble failure"], ''[[Daily Mirror|The Mirror]]'', 4 July 2014.</ref> and referred to "tangled conception and tortuously opaque execution"<ref name=Variety>Guy Lodge, [https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-the-anomaly-1201258156/ "Film Review: 'The Anomaly': Derivative and incomprehensible, Noel Clarke's shoestring sci-fi actioner doesn't live up to its title"], ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', 17 June 2014.</ref> and to "meag[re] rewards for those willing to endure its laborious convolutions".<ref name=HR/>
+The film was unanimously panned by critics, with a [[Rotten Tomatoes]] approval rating of 0% based on 17 reviews,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_anomaly |title=The Anomaly (2015) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |accessdate=2021-01-12}}</ref> making it the worst reviewed British film of 2014. On [[Metacritic]], it has a score of 27 out of 100 from 7 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-anomaly |title=The Anomaly |work=Metacritic |accessdate=11 October 2015}}</ref> [[Mark Kermode]] of ''[[The Observer]]'' called it "ambitious but uneven".<ref>[[Mark Kermode]], [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/06/the-anomaly-review-noel-clarke-brian-cox "The Anomaly review – ambitious but uneven sci-fi romp"], ''[[The Observer]]'', 5 July 2014.</ref> Other critics described it as "hilariously naff science-fiction mularkey"<ref>Allan Hunter, [http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/486332/Noel-Clarke-film-The-Anomaly-review-and-trailer "The Anomaly: Cringe-worthy confusion paying homage to all sci-fi films"], ''[[Daily Express|The Express]]'', 4 July 2014.</ref> and "a peculiar Brit flick best described as a noble failure"<ref>David Edwards, [https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-reviews/anomaly-review-noel-clarke-delivers-3805162 "The Anomaly review: Noel Clarke delivers a peculiar film best described as a noble failure"], ''[[Daily Mirror|The Mirror]]'', 4 July 2014.</ref> and referred to "tangled conception and tortuously opaque execution"<ref name=Variety>Guy Lodge, [https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-the-anomaly-1201258156/ "Film Review: 'The Anomaly': Derivative and incomprehensible, Noel Clarke's shoestring sci-fi actioner doesn't live up to its title"], ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', 17 June 2014.</ref> and to "meag[re] rewards for those willing to endure its laborious convolutions".<ref name=HR/>
 ==References==
@@ Line 76: / Line 79: @@
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Anomaly, The}}
 [[Category:2014 films]]
-[[Category:2010s action thriller films]]
+[[Category:2014 action thriller films]]
+[[Category:2014 science fiction action films]]
+[[Category:2010s British films]]
 [[Category:2010s chase films]]
-[[Category:2010s mystery films]]
+[[Category:2010s English-language films]]
-[[Category:2010s science fiction films]]
+[[Category:2010s mystery thriller films]]
-[[Category:Films directed by Noel Clarke]]
+[[Category:2010s science fiction thriller films]]
 [[Category:British action thriller films]]
 [[Category:British chase films]]
-[[Category:British films]]
+[[Category:British mystery thriller films]]
-[[Category:British mystery films]]
 [[Category:British science fiction action films]]
-[[Category:English-language films]]
+[[Category:British science fiction thriller films]]
 [[Category:Films about security and surveillance]]
+[[Category:Films directed by Noel Clarke]]
 [[Category:Films set in the future]]
-[[Category:Science fiction thriller films]]
 [[Category:Techno-thriller films]]
 [[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
+[[Category:English-language science fiction action films]]
+[[Category:English-language science fiction thriller films]]
+[[Category:English-language action thriller films]]
+[[Category:English-language mystery thriller films]]