The toxins are here to cleanse the earth! And only the chosen will breathe.
With plenty of relatable ideas, The Fix, starring Grace Van Dien (Stranger Things), is a wild premise which promises a lot of thriller-like moments as a toxic compound is unleashed in Earth’s atmosphere and makes it really hard for people to breathe . . . especially if they refuse to wear a mask.
Remember those days, my fellow Covid-ites? It seems like only yesterday . . . and director Kelsey Egan helps to remind us of those good old bad days with this take on a dystopian future in which the air itself is pure poison. This is marketing itself as a high concept body horror movie - and, yes, it is - but the dystopian future it sells itself on feels rather familiar as more and more of our world is turning in on itself.
So, much of The Fix feels very familiar to our world. The conspiracy here - as recreational drug use delivers one hell of a mutation - comes across a bit messy and confused-like as Ella McPhee, our model-turned-heroine, finds herself on the run and having to name names while trying to outmaneuver an evil pharmaceutical CEO (Danial Sharman) who sees himself as the savior of the world.
The Fix tackles all manner of conspiracy theorists as a pharmaceutical giant, Aethera, sells its own particular brand of immunity . . . but most people can’t afford the price tag for the daily dose that is required in order to survive the plight. When a troubled model takes a new drug at a party, the side effect produces a shocking transformation which includes super powers and will help humans survive the toxic air; however, the gang pursuing her and the authorities in league with Aethera absolutely don’t want her to survive!
Co-starring Keenan Arrison, Tina Redman, Robyn Rossouw, Tafara Nyatsanza, Nicole Fortuin and Clancy Brown, The Fix is definitely powered with creativity - especially the gadgets which highlight humanity’s progression - and features some grand special effects, which help pull off the super-powered transformation. It’s just edited together a bit too haphazardly, creating a jumbled mess of things before earning any sort of emotional response toward Ella and the mess she finds herself in.
Hell, we even get a whole lot of genre-hopping as the story tackles science fiction, thrillers, body horror, and all sorts of familiar beats in its running time. This is all a plus for independent flicks and The Fix proudly achieves a fine tightrope walk. It’s only in the development of the narrative where it slips a bit, rushing into dramatic beats without allowing its audience to acclimate to its dystopian realities . . . and that might turn off a whole bunch of eyes that might, ultimately, be into what the film is selling.
That’s right, in the future as imagined in The Fix, no one can hear you breathe . . . or something like that. This is not a horrible film at all. It has some pretty memorable bits and pieces; it just needed a bit more time baking before the bizarro super powers took hold providing hope for a respite from the daily doses for the masses.
The Fix is available to stream on digital on November 22.
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 98 mins
Director: Kelsey Egan
Writer: Kelsey Egan
Cast: Clancy Brown; Grace Van Dien; Daniel Sharman
Genre: Action | Sci-fi
Tagline: We are the problem. She is the solution.
Memorable Movie Quote:
Theatrical Distributor: Gravitas Ventures
Official Site:
Release Date: November 22, 2024
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: In a future with toxic air, a model takes a drug causing a transformation. She tries reversing it but learns her mutations could save humanity.
