By Terry Sherwood
Body horror or body modification is usually the theme of David Cronenberg which he does to excess. However, always new yet old ideas to be written about in the stylish new South African film The Fix. Written and Directed by Filmmaker Kelsey Egan who moves the action well, stages stunts bravely and creates a pulsating narrative coupled with the music is executed well.
This is not a new idea in tech thriller, but the point is that it delivers what it is trying to achieve. The story takes moments from The Fly series be it Cronenberg or the original trilogy, Species (1995) and a smattering of Splice (2009). The earth is polluted so much that people must wear masks shades of the pandemic to survive. A large drug firm has developed a pill that enables people to breathe without masks. However of course they are evil and charge huge amounts for it and only for the privileged. Hence you have a new type of drug culture evolving.
The film follows model Elle (Grace van Dien) who is doing commercials for a big Drug company by day and taking recreational drugs, has a relationship with her father and enjoys excess at night. What better way to blot out the present than to alter it.
At a rave party Elle in a fit of hallucinogenic revenge for her poor life pours down a vial of a new designer drug. Elle gets messed up crashing into a toilet interrupting some lusty going on between partygoers. Boxer (Aiden Scott) who was in the washroom comes to her aid only to vomit and rebuff.
Elle notices odd things about herself, such as skin changes, and spiny projections from her elbows that retract a super agile strength change. She crashes out of the party literally to land in front of Boxer who is leaving the party. He rescues her from pursuing Drug people who want the drug that she accidentally took from the owner of the Home. Boxer is not the good guy and tries to date rape Elle whom she fends off, and bursts into the night finding she can jump, land and scale walls. She later learns her genetic makeup has been altered introducing that of a dragonfly into her system.
The Fix (2024) becomes a type of superhero origin story most viewers of dystopian science fiction. In line with those given powers reluctantly like The Hulk, Harvey Dent from Batman Books. Elle battles for a cure and channels her inner Milla Jovovich in the Resident Evil film series and Kate Beckinsale from the Underworld franchise in a series of practical stunts and gunplay. Elle does find someone who can help her reneged scientist Solomon (Keena Arrison) who has developed an alternative to the big drug company and is personified by O’Connor’s (Daniel Sharman) who seems driven Lex Luthor with creating something at the expense of everything else due to a driving father (Clancey Brown).
The Fix (2024) moved swiftly with some strong visuals, particularly in the Blow Up (1966) inspired commercial shoot with thin, dead-faced women in a video reminded of David Hemming’s provocative photo shoot in his studio. Elle gets recognized at the train station by a young girl and must be content with the raving bearded loon that seems to always be at these places.
Some good tech with view screens, holograms, and dead-on daring fashion oddly only for the women bring an almost sixties Mod Mini skirt, plastic fetish shirt feel. A solid committed fun tech comic book film that may establish a new female action star as she can literally spread her wings.
Bloody Flicks 