Dead Air – A Slow-Burning Thriller That Lacks a Spark
Dead Air has a good story with some great twists and turns but ultimately struggles to keep an audience interested with its slow pace and dull setting.
What’s It All About?
A dead father’s recently discovered radio sends his adult son on a twisting journey that slowly unravels a dark, unimaginable secret.
My Opinion
Writer Vickie Hicks has given us a solid thriller here. Overall I enjoyed the journey she took me on as a viewer. I thought that there were some elements in the script that were a little too obvious, being more subtle with certain plot points would have made these twists less obvious, but there were still enough surprises to catch you unexpectedly.
I don’t feel that this movie will appeal to everyone, you have to be willing to spend time watching and investing in these characters as there is not too much going on for the first hour of the movie. This is devoted to setting up the plot elements, establishing the characters and their motivations. To do this the film uses radio to connect two strangers together. This is a great plot device to use on a budget as it takes out the need for any visual special effects or locations. Unfortunately it is also a little dull to watch as it is two people talking over a radio. This isn’t helped any by the muted colour palette. If you can sit through the slow start then you will get the satisfaction of the pay-off in the final third of the movie.
What I found interesting were the trips to the psychiatrist, between these conversations where William talks about his past and attempts to regain some of his old memories, long blocked out. These do get more interesting as he undergoes hypnotherapy and the story begins to unfold.
My main problem with Dead Air was that it was quite hard work to sit through. The concept was good and the pay-off was great, it was getting to that point that was the problem. I felt as though the story was slow to get going, which wasn’t helped by the fact that some major plot points were made obvious early on. Some of the dialogue felt unnatural and the delivery a little wooden which didn’t help sitting through the conversations on the radio. As mentioned earlier, the muted colour palette and the heavy use of close-up shots didn’t make it very interesting, making the film feel a little dull.
Granted this was two people talking into a microphone for a lot of the film, which raises the question, how can you make this visually interesting? We get a lot of close-up shots of the actors, there is no getting away from that in this type of film. What I think would have been nice is a bit of a break from this every now and again. It would have been good get some visual stimulation between these scenes. I feel as though this would have freshened up the audience and I would not have felt as much of a slog.
There were a few horror elements used in the film which I thought were a little unnecessary. I think simply concentrating on the thriller aspect would have been enough, I felt as though this was trying a little too hard to be two different things. I did like the interference on the radio that would come and go, but overall the horror elements didn’t really pay off for me.
Notable Performances
Writer Vickie Hicks also plays the role of Eva. Vickie was the star of the show. She did a great job of playing the suspicious woman who clearly has something to hide. Vickie seemed the stronger of the pair when it came to dueling out conversations over the radio.
As well as directing Kevin Hicks also played the role of William. I thought Kevin was at his best during the films most intense moments. He managed the characters story-arc well as he slowly became more aware of his past.
Luca Iacovetti plays Billy. I though Luca put in a very mature performance for his age, in the final moments of the movie he really shows he has talent.
The Verdict
Dead Air is not going to be to everyone’s tastes. You have a slow first hour to get through before things begin to get interesting. If you can sit through this then you will get the satisfaction of the pay-off in the final third of the movie. I feel that this film could have benefited from a more vibrant colour palette and an overall more visually pleasing presentation. The dull sets did not help with the slow burning nature of the story leading it to come off a little subdued.
