Singularity Principle (2013) Review

Come for the physics stay for the warm embrace of Buck.

Singularity Principle (2013): 6 out of 10: A physicist experimenting with wormholes and the like may have created a bridge to an alternate universe. Or he might have had a psychotic break. Is his wife really leaving him for a resort owning oil baron who fixes cars named Buck? Will the labs RA shut down the experiment because of the spikes in electrical usage and the radiation glow? Will a local band get a five-minute cameo? The Singularity Principle will answer all these questions.

The Good

The Good: Fans of this movie (I am generously using the plural, as the only fan I know of is my wife) will tell you that Dr. David Deranian, a real-life physicist wrote and directed the movie. And you know what? That is both good and bad. On the good side, the physics are well presented and dumbed down just enough to follow along. The science will keep one interested when other aspects of the story fail to impress.

Also, for a limited (very limited) budget, they do a good job looking like it takes place at a physics lab. I’m guessing that they filmed on location at Dr. Deranian’s own lab but credit where credit is due. The special effects are also decent and they don’t try to cash checks they don’t have the money or talent for.

Singularity Principle has a real Time Chasers feel to the proceedings. And not just because the sets are sometimes hilariously off. It clearly is a work of love from those involved.

The Bad

The Bad: You want to know the downside of having a physicist write your screenplay. You get characters like Buck, the tall, rich, wife stealer. In fact, much of the dialogue and non-physics story steers dangerously into James Nguyen territory.

The Ugly

The Ugly: There is a local band (they are decent) and the main character plays the double bass. So let’s kill some time at the bar. I swear they filmed the wrap party and put it in the middle of the film.

What is with the credits and what do they tell us? Amy LoCicero is top billed, but she appears in one quick flashback scene/ dream sequence. The actual co-star of the movie Kallie Jean Sorensen isn’t even in the main credits. WTF?

As KQEK.com points out “The sleeve notes on the DVD have the plot dead wrong: Dr. Peter Tanning (Michael Patrick Denis) doesn’t attempt to convince a shrink he’s broken through the barrier and travelled into a parallel world, nor has he been incarcerated in a mental lab’s psych ward; there is no shrink nor psych ward in the film.”

So was the film re-cut and the marketing department not informed? Kallie Jean Sorensen is easily the best thing in the film: why is she barely mentioned in the credits or the marketing? Honestly, this is a bigger mystery than any Singularity Principle wormholes or why Buck is single and trolling diners for chicks.

In Conclusion

In Conclusion: If you can get past the very limited budget, the occasional awkward dialogue, and story beat, and Buck cuckolding everything that moves you are in for an interesting dissertation on some physics principles wrapped in the warm blanket of science fiction.