My Brain After Watching 2067 at 2:37 AM
My chest hurts. Like literally hurts. I think I stopped breathing during that last scene. Just finished 2067 on Netflix and my hands are still shaking. Why did I watch this alone at 2 AM? Bad decision. Very bad decision.
The whole time I was curled up on my couch with this stupid blanket that's not even warm enough but I couldn't be bothered to get up and grab the good one because I was too invested. Netflix recommended it and I thought "sure, why not, some sci-fi to fall asleep to." WRONG. So wrong. Now I'm wide awake and questioning everything about my existence and the future of humanity.
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That scene where Ethan first arrives in the future. The camera does this slow pan across the dead landscape and my body literally tensed up. I could feel my shoulders creeping toward my ears. And the sound design? The silence punctuated by that weird wind noise? I had to pause it for a second just to remind myself I was in my living room and not some dead forest 400 years from now.
The message he leaves for his wife. "If you're seeing this, it means I've failed." God. That line is echoing in my head right now. The way Kodi Smit-McPhee delivered it with that slight tremble in his voice. I think that's when I really leaned in, like physically moved closer to the screen as if proximity would somehow change what was about to happen.
It reminds me of when my grandpa was sick in the hospital and he recorded all those messages for us for after he was gone. I was only 12 but I remember him setting up that little camera in his room, making these videos for each of us for future birthdays and graduations he knew he wouldn't be around for. I still can't watch them without... actually never mind. Too much for 3 AM.
The time travel concept actually kind of broke my brain a little. I thought I was following it and then suddenly I wasn't sure if he was changing the past or the future or both simultaneously. I thought I loved that whole paradox element, but now that I'm typing this... was it actually kind of dumb? Like did it even make sense or was it just confusing for the sake of being confusing? I don't know. I'm too tired to untangle it but also too wired to sleep.
My apartment feels weird now. All dark except for this TV screen glare. The hum of my refrigerator sounds different somehow. More ominous. Everything feels more fragile. That's the power of good sci-fi I guess – it messes with your perception of your actual reality.
The ending though. Without spoilers... I did NOT see that coming. I literally gasped. Loudly. Thank god my roommates are asleep because they would have thought someone broke in. My hand flew to my mouth and I think I whispered "no way" to my empty living room like an idiot.
The CGI was hit or miss though. Some parts looked amazing, especially the futuristic cityscapes. But other shots felt a bit... Syfy channel original movie? I thought I didn't mind it while watching, but now that I'm thinking about it, did I just forgive it because the story had me hooked? Probably.
And don't even get me started on the environmental themes. Like okay, we get it, climate change is bad and we're destroying the planet. But the way they wove it into the DNA of the actual plot was pretty brilliant. Not preachy, just... terrifyingly plausible.
I keep checking my phone like I'm expecting some important message from the future. This is what happens when you watch intense sci-fi alone in the middle of the night. Your brain gets all scrambled.
The sound design though. Seriously. Even through my mediocre TV speakers, the way they used silence was incredible. Those moments where everything just goes quiet and you're left with only the character's breathing. I found myself holding my breath along with them without even realizing it.
I should probably try to sleep but I know I'll just be lying there thinking about oxygen trees and whether the future is already written or if we can actually change it. Great. Now I'm all existential.
7.5/10 - decent
- Alex