MovieChat Forums > Self/less (2015) Discussion > The #1 problem with this movie

The #1 problem with this movie


is that at no time after the mind-transfer do we get the impression that it is the 68-yr-old Damien now inside the body of Mark. Even when he's on the anti-rejection medication he talks and thinks like Mark, not like the cranky old businessman who should be in there.
The #2 problem: That ridiculously cheesy contraption with special effects fit for a 60s Star Trek episode that does the mind transfer. And if metal makes it not work properly why doesn't all the iron we have in our blood along with all the other trace metals in our body have any effect on it?

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is that at no time after the mind-transfer do we get the impression that it is the 68-yr-old Damien now inside the body of Mark. Even when he's on the anti-rejection medication he talks and thinks like Mark, not like the cranky old businessman who should be in there.

Completely agree. Reynolds and Kingsley should surely have gotten together before filming and worked out how to make their performances make sense as being indicative of the same person in two different bodies. There was no sign whatsoever that this had happened. Definitely the weakest part of the movie, both performance- and script-wise.

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It might have been interesting if Ryan Reynolds had practiced a new york accent making sure to speak in a different accent once he got his body back in the end.

To say there were NO scenes that showed the difference is wrong, for starters he is having sex and says "I have not seen anything like that in fifty two years.

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That's a very light reference you've eluded to. I really liked the film but I completely agree that it doesn't seem like Damien in his body at all. Ok there's the odd reference to his old life but he doesn't act like Damien is the problem. Still thought it was a very good film, it could have been fantastic though

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OK thanx creator2002. I had forgotten that R.R. had switched souls, and why I was puzzled when he mentioned 52 years, when he looks in his 30s-40s. I'm just looking at the small wooden house on Google Street View. That water tower was supposedly painted to look like a pumpkin?!? They did a lousy job! lol

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Even more. There is the concept of "does an old mind can't keep going for how long?"
You could change bodies, but would it work forever as your mind gets older and older?
They should work this issue in the movie. A young guy speaking and acting with an old mind.

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My dad is 71 but his mind is like a 26 year old. He says you're as old as you see yourself. He looks 71 but is as social as a 26 year old. So he'd probably last for thousands of years.

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@ picturetaker, I'm 71, and I'm also IMMATURE lol for my age, bcuz I'm "young at heart"! I've been told that by strangers too! I look about 55ish bcuz I'm 39 years vegan, but I also drank a lot for over 30 years! My healthy diet probably saved my life, bcuz I haven't been sick since 1986! It's Jan./2025 now. I'm still very active but of course I've slowed down a lot. A sense of humour really helps!

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A 'mind' is not flesh and blood so it doesn't 'age' like our bodies do. The 'mind' is the workings from a brain, which of course ages and sometimes gets physically damaged from drugs, bad diets, and from emotional trauma. It's all closely connected though.
While the brain controls a person's movements, emotions, and various bodily functions, the mind alludes to a person's morality, reasoning, and comprehension. The brain is a physical organ. It can be touched and/or seen. However, the mind is intangible; it can neither be touched nor seen.

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A brain will age, but the mind is intangible. It's, if anything, an electrical energy from our brain that connects our entities to the spirit world, as well as the 3D world. Earth also has that same electrical energy, called the Schumann Resonance. That's why I sleep on earthing pads and walk with earthed shoes. (copper rivets). I'm electrically connected to Mother Earth almost 24/7.
I also do a LOT of walking, about 5-10 KMs per day. I stay OFF the ASSphalt as much as possible bcuz it does NOT conduct the healing energy from Mother Earth. It's OIL-based, an INSULATOR. Unsealed concrete DOES conduct that electrical energy though.
To have a very 'electrical day', it's best to walk in the sand/water barefoot at the beach. That really CHARGES your 'batteries'! We will also receive the 'kinetic' energy from the feet interacting with the sand and water.
We also feel great in a rainfall bcuz the friction of the raindrops falling creates OZONE, and why everything feels and smells FRESH during and after a heavy rainfall!
I also use a water swirler with magnets on my shower nozzle! It energizes the water which transfers that energy to my body. All my drinking/cooking water is also ozonated as well as vitalized!(restructured).

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Why do you people scrutinize the heck out of a sci-fi thriller that we all know is fake tech? Just enjoy it becausr it's good storytelling and acting, or don't. There is no basis in real life for this movie to compare it too.

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no. thats what we are saying that storytelling and acting wasnt at its best. tech is fake but performance should be believable. thats the whole idea

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Bubba80, I have my OWN mind and thoughts, and if I don't like something I'll say so. I came here to figure out the scenario about the daughter who was last seen under the house that was torched. That is RR's daughter right?, but Kingsley's GREEDY soul is in RR's body now, (poor guy) so RR won't remember the daughter, or the wife? RR's soul SKEEDADDLED when he died, and went back to SOURCE. The paranormal plot is a bit too far-fetched for me, and it confuses me a little. Maybe bcuz I have watched this movie over 2 days? I'll have to rewind and watch it again maybe.
TBH, This is a very DEEP subject matter that hardly anyone will agree upon. I believe that the soul INCLUDES the mind, with experiences, and together they make up our CONSCIOUSNESS. Just bcuz Kingsley was older, does not mean his soul is older. Some younger people behave more mature than others bcuz they have an older soul. Some older people are 'immature'. None of this can be 'proven' but it makes for intriguing discussion!

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Although I largely agree with what everyone has to say about this problem in the film, I noticed a couple of exceptions while watching. One was that Albright definitely resembled who he was in his previous body. When Damien watches the video, you can see the physical mannerisms in there clearly (long before the face of Albright is seen nearby). That's the first exception. The other one is that in the scene with Claire toward the end, he really comes across as a choked up father who wishes he'd done better (also holding back for fear he lets it show too much). But yeah, accent, language, and mannerisms could have been there all the time with Reynolds' Damien. No question about that. My big problem with this film is that I didn't find the characters engaging enough. Fixing this issue might have helped.

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To ipsofatso, ANSWER: The Old Fart (Ben 'Dover' Kingsley) had IRON-POOR blood! L0L

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