Elevation (2024) review

Elevation should appeal to fans of the “move/make a sound and you’re dead” genre thrillers like A Quiet Place and Bird Box. The genre hasn’t been pillaged completely so a film like Elevation with a likable cast and inspired director can provide plenty of thrills and excitement.

Mankind is under siege from a new predator — one that mysteriously emerged from underground — determined to wipe out humanity.

Three years have passed since the creatures emerged. The few survivors have established some reasonable measures to stay alive — they have to stay at least 8,000 feet above sea level. For whatever reason at that elevation the creatures won’t continue pursuing them. If they stay below that elevation even at 7,999 feet they can get mauled, gored or otherwise massacred by the creatures.

For Will (Anthony Mackie, Captain America: Brave New World), being among the survivors with his son, Hunter (Danny Boyle, Jr.) beats the alternative. He’s got this enlightened perspective after losing his wife, Tara (Rachel Nicks) following an excursion with physicist Nina (Morena Baccarin, Deadpool and Wolverine). Nina is obsessed with finding a means to kill the creatures and doesn’t have time to make nice with the other members of the community.

Will can’t sit back passively either. Not after Hunter’s breathing apparatus exhausted its last filter. Will is pretty sure he can track some more down in Boulder, but to get there he’s going to have to take a perilous path below the elevation mark to get it.

Nina is the only person in the camp that’s had an encounter with the creatures and lived to tell the tale. Her survival expertise would come in handy, and Will forcibly guilts her to tagging along. She owes him that much for Tara. There are some flashback scenes with Will and Tara, but the film would have benefitted from a few moments of them before the world was under siege.

Since she can’t rely on Nina to keep her friend safe, Katie (Maddie Hasson) tags along. The poster featuring Mackie and Baccarin doesn’t exactly bode well for Katie’s longevity in the film. Hasson does make Katie a memorable third wheel while the filmmakers subvert expectations by continually teasing incidents that could take Katie out.

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Director George Nolfi (Ocean’s Twelve) avoids teasing the creatures for most of the run time and stages a dramatic encounter with the full reveal by the half hour mark. The creatures look like a hybrid of a crab and a rhinoceros with the speed of a mountain goat.

Elevation has some impressive jump scares. Nolfi’s best work comes with the chase sequences alternating from the perspective of the humans and the creatures.

The trouble with such a limited cast is there’s not much by way of disposable cannon fodder. Elevation could have used two or three more characters whose purpose was to get killed off early so the majority of the screentime could focus on the trio that starts off the quest.

Screenwriters John Glenn, Jacob Roman and Kenny Ryan do a solid job of crafting real tension among the trio. As exhilarating as the action might be, if the characters weren’t interesting, their fates wouldn’t matter. Baccarin is an underrated performer who is always reliable in her roles. This one offers her the opportunity to play a character with a well-earned rougher edge although there are some moments that soften her alleged hardened heart.

Mackie has already proven he could easily handle leading role films. This was a strong showcase for him as he flexes his full range of emotions while playing a credible modern action hero who’s vulnerable, but capable of astonishing feats given the right circumstances.

Elevation’s smartly paced run time of 91 minutes helps keep the action movie and the threats coming. When the final act concludes, it definitely left me with a sense of wanting more. That could be in the cards as a mid-credit scene teases a potential sequel. I’d be down to scale this universe again for some more installments.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

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