Customer Reviews

The Thirteenth Floor (Special Edition)

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I'm really glad we saw this on Netflix tonight (rather than having the twists and turns and endings spoiled for us by reading Reviews on amazon.ca) and so were able to fully enjoy it.

It's not the Matrix (13th Floor is less gorey and makes more sense), nor is it a mash-up of other films. 13th Floor is interesting, with twists and turns, and "huh?" moments galore, and the actors (Gretchen Mol and Craig Bierko) are very nice to look at and seem to have genuine chemistry.

I came on amazon tonight to buy a hard copy of this film because as soon as it ended we knew we wanted to see it again.

The story seems simple: a guy who works at a software/computer company is shocked to learn his boss has been murdered. He can't tell the police or anyone else about what he and his boss were working on, which adds to the suspicion.

At a dead end, he decides to try out the new project he and his boss and co-worker have been working on for the past 6 years: a type of virtual reality that is set in 1937 Los Angeles.
The visit doesn't answer any of the guy's questions, and he ends up with a lot more questions.

One visit leads to another as he tries to figure out who did what, when, and why. The results are surprising, and, in the end, everything works out... but in a very unexpected way.

If you enjoy sci-fi _type_/mind-bending films, you may enjoy this film. If you like a good mystery, you'll love it. We do :-)

Great thriller, which will keep you guessing until the last frame. The last twist makes you question what reality is.

It made me ponder whether we really are at the top of the food chain or whether we simply serve as food for hyperdimensional beings? An interesting question which Gurdjieff, Carlos Castaneda and the Sufis amongst others have alluded to. For exploring this question I can recommend the book by Laura Knight-Jadczyk "The Secret History of the World and How to Get Out Alive" for starters.

Why do people keep saying this is a MATRIX ripoff? This movie is based on the novel SIMULCRON-3 that was written in 1962!!

I think that predates the MATRIX by a few years. Plus, the MATRIX isn't all that original anyway as even communicated by the screen-writers. Can you say PKD?

Wow! is the only word i can think of to tell you how i feel about this terrific sci-fic mystery. In fact, I almost missed it due to poor reviews flooding on the net and newspapers. after watching the thirteenth floor, i realize that you have to watch and anaylze the movie by yourself in order to determine if it is good or not instead of trusting everything that is said by the reviews. people have different thinkings and a movie may appeal to one while others may find it disgusting. well, i think the thirteenth floor is one of that kind of movies that one may love it or be confused and thus hate it.

i am not going to give out much about the story 'cause that's exactly what is fascinating about this movie. but i can tell you what makes it such a unique experience for me. there are two important (or weird for some of you) questions that are confusing me all the time, which are why are we born in this world and what will happen after our lives when this world come to an end. the thirteenth floor provides probable answers to both questions. may be our world is just a simulation program manipulated by some higher intelligent beings from another planet or by a computer tech from the future so that everything we see in the world are only someone's fantasy or thoughts. no matter you believe or not, the thirteenth floor may make you think and reevaluate your current beliefs.

even if you do not find the story interesting, you cannot deny that the cinematography and production design are superb. the elegant re-creation of los angeles in the thirties will definitely shine in your eyes in contrast to the coarse and vulgar tone of the present. in fact, i could not find any flaw in the photography work, every shot is just done fantastically! and finally for acting, the four protagonists all gave powerful performance to their roles (all of them have to act at least two roles 'cause they got different identities in the past, present or the future). armin mueller-stahl (shine) gave another strong performance as the old scientist and the creator of the simulated world. gretchen mol, starring as his daughter, is one of the most beautiful actresses i have ever seen on the screen and she proves to be a very versatile actress in this movie.

for people who have watched the matrix, try also to watch this one which i think is much better and deserves more attention.

It seems that many have compared this film to 'The Matrix'. I don't think that this is very valid as the actors in 'The Thirteenth Floor' earned less money and performed better. The special effects were more subtle than the crash, bang, wallop of 'The Matrix', and it seems from the other reviews published here that the the plot was a little too complex for the average viewer, so they have dealt with that by writing that it was lacking in story. This is far from the truth. The plotline sets those who can to think.

I feel confident that it will become a cult classic with time as more see and appreciate it.

I don't understand the comparison to the Matrix (or Dark City). This is not an Action film and was never meant to be. The closest thing to action in the film is a 15 second car ride ending in a minor crash with no fatalities. And in the entire film there are probably fewer than 10 bullets fired.

So why the continuos references to the Matrix? Mainly because of the nature of the world - or its reality? But again, there really is no similarity. The Matrix supposes we are all dreaming, unaware of the true nature of our existence. That is not the case in this movie. I find it incredibly interesting that someone in 1962 would come up with the plot presented here. (Or something like it, since I haven't read the book and do not know how close the movie followed the novel.)

SO . . . if you're looking for action, you won't find it here. If, however, you're looking for some interesting plot twists and a mystery that is slow to unwind and gives you something to think about, you just might like this little flick. The ending was a little lacking, but overall a decent B movie.

Why do people keep saying this is a MATRIX ripoff? This movie is based on the novel SIMULCRON-3 that was written in 1962!!

I think that predates the MATRIX by a few years. Plus, the MATRIX isn't all that original anyway as even communicated by the screen-writers. Can you say PKD?

If you haven't seen the film then go out and rent it first because it's not for everyone, espicially if your very much a matrix fan because this film doesn't go as deeply as you'd like it.
The reason I gave this film a 4 star is because it's gengre is rarely done well or for that matter done right. Like the matrix, it travels deep into the human mind to create a feeling of unease and distrust. In that I mean that one shouldn't believe what they see all at once until they've seen it all. Although the film doesn't have that element of serious intrigue like the matrix it still in it's own way gives you just what your looking for in terms of a sci-fi film without all the special kick ass moves that matrix is so well known for. Instead the film deals with how a good technological invention can turn deadly then moves into a field of smoken mirrors in which what you've seen has completely changed it's meaning and once again you are forced to replay the story line in your head to understand how it all works.
By the end of the film (which I will not tell you because that would be wrong) you are left with this sense of "awww" in which you think "geeez, I would have never guessed" which is just what the Matrix did for most people. Of course, I shouldn't be comparing two (as far as I'm concerned) completely different types of sci-fi films but these days if you haven't seen the matrix and your interested in this film then go out and rent it. Besides it does you no good to be out of the loop.
Anyway, to get the point across thier are some great performances in this film and often your left wondering where the next plot twist will lie. Although their were other wonderful actors in the film, I loved espicially Vincent D'onofrio just because he's the perfect villian and innocent bistandard all in once. Truely this film is as much a mystery of the sci-fi gengre as the Matrix is to Neo so do try to rent it and if you like it think of buying it. It never hurts to have a wide variety of sci-fi films at home!
Thank you! enjoy!

I saw the Matrix and Reloaded before viewing this movie (just to clear the air). I liked it but it was very predictable. One other reviewer mentioned that this film left out the FX in order to be more of a thinking film. Think about what? The Matrix was rich in philosophical, theological, psychological, mathematical, and spiritual content. This movie had dablings, but not much. My wife absolutly HATED this movie. I though it was ok. There was no real "AHA!" moment (though I know where the directors wanted you to say AHA!). Perhaps I'm a bit biased to the Matrix, but this movie did not go as deep and simply skimmed the surface of "what is real". Next on my list is eXistenZ.

a man is murdered and a cop suspects a techman partner for his death, but what happens next is astounding and the finale is great too. the theory in here is that theres the real world set in the future and they create a game world of the real world which is todays world and then todays world creates a game that goes back into the old world and you can be who ever you want to be, plus theres a killer on the loose. hang on tight. D'Onofrio, Mol, Stahl, Haysbert and Bierko give nice performances