The Anomaly is a 2014 science fiction action thriller film directed and co-produced by and starring Noel Clarke and also featuring Ian Somerhalder and Luke Hemsworth.
Plot
The film is set in a futuristic setting involving a battle over control of the mind and of cutting-edge biotechnology. Traumatised ex-soldier Ryan Reeve (Noel Clarke) wakes up in the back of a van next to a young boy who is being held prisoner. He frees the boy and must work out what is happening in bursts of consciousness each lasting less than ten minutes, while his mind is switched repeatedly to a parallel existence under mind control of which he has no recollection. He teams up with the mysterious "Dana" (Alexis Knapp) as he battles a conspiracy known as "Anomaly" led by Harkin Langham (Ian Somerhalder).
Cast
- Noel Clarke as Pvt. Ryan Reeve/Rory Thompson/Anomaly #66
- Alexis Knapp as Diane/Dana/Daisy
- Brian Cox as Dr. Lloyd Langham
- Ian Somerhalder as Agent Harkin Langham/Anomaly #X
- Luke Hemsworth as Agent Richard Elkin/Anomaly #13
- Ali Cook as Agent Travis/Anomaly #97
Production
The film was produced in the UK in 2013. Clarke performed his own stunts, modifying his diet and receiving fight training for the purpose.
Distribution
The first official trailer was released on 19 April 2014. The film was shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival in June 2014 and entered general release in the UK and the Republic of Ireland through Universal Pictures on 4 July.
Reception
The film was poorly received. Mark Kermode of The Observer called it "ambitious but uneven". Other critics described it as "hilariously naff science-fiction mularkey" and "a peculiar Brit flick best described as a noble failure" and referred to "tangled conception and tortuously opaque execution" and to "meag[re] rewards for those willing to endure its laborious convolutions".
References
