Aporia

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: August 11, 2023

5.3	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 4 Ratings

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Brent_MarchantAug 13, 2023

For those unfamiliar with the term “aporia,” it refers to a state of puzzlement or bewilderment, especially in philosophical and ethical discourse. And, in the case of this latest effort from writer-director Jared Moshé, it’s equallyFor those unfamiliar with the term “aporia,” it refers to a state of puzzlement or bewilderment, especially in philosophical and ethical discourse. And, in the case of this latest effort from writer-director Jared Moshé, it’s equally applicable to the essence of this film’s existence. This romantic sci-fi saga of a nurse, Sophie (Judy Greer), who loses her engineer/physicist husband, Mal (Edi Gathegi), to a drunk driver follows the efforts to bring him back to life with the assistance of her late spouse’s best friend, Jabir (Payman Maadi), a fellow scientist with whom he was working on a time machine. Unfortunately, the device doesn’t function as intended, but it is nevertheless capable of sending a deadly subatomic particle through time whose impact is capable of killing someone – in this case, the proposed target being the motorist who killed Mal. The prospect poses a daunting ethical dilemma, but Sophie agrees to it, and she soon finds herself back in the company of her husband. But changing the past carries consequences, many of them unforeseen and difficult to deal with. The film presents an intriguing premise, to be sure, but one not unlike what was previously examined in “The Butterfly Effect” (2004). What’s more, this offering is plagued by a number of issues, such as needlessly slow pacing, insightful but overlong ethical debates and a stunningly unsophisticated temporal device that looks like one of Rube Goldberg’s comical contraptions. The biggest problem by far, though, is one of narrative credibility – not from a scientific standpoint but from a moral one: It’s hard to believe that these three supposedly intelligent individuals can be so casual and cavalier when it comes to their ethics and morals. I find it unfathomable how a supposedly compassionate caregiver like a nurse could so willingly go along with a harebrained plan to willfully kill someone for self-serving purposes; it’s a hallow, contrived and patently unbelievable story arc. And, when efforts to make up for this transgression surface, the plot truly starts to go off the rails. Indeed, the logic behind this tale truly needs to be rethought and reworked, because, as it stands now, it genuinely leaves philosophically minded viewers in a deep state of aporia, especially when it comes to figuring out why they bought a ticket to watch it in the first place.… Expand

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JLuis_001Aug 20, 2023

Even when its concept doesn't sound so original anymore, especially when dealing with plots about grief and loss, Aporia tries, but its specific fantasy involving time travel just recites the same old trope where you know with absoluteEven when its concept doesn't sound so original anymore, especially when dealing with plots about grief and loss, Aporia tries, but its specific fantasy involving time travel just recites the same old trope where you know with absolute certainty that things are going to go wrong for the characters involved, so with such a well-worn plot device, you need a script that changes the concept a bit.

Does Aporia pull it off? No, not really. The sci-fi appeal doesn't require anything outlandish to work outside of the dramatic intentions the story seeks to develop. It departs from the complexities of similar reality-altering plots, its stakes are centered on moral quandaries. So, if you're expecting a more spectacularly inclined adventure, forget it, this film concentrates on drama, rather than delving into convoluted ramifications.

It never quite loses its grip so that it ends up falling apart into pieces, but its exploration of the consequences of tampering with time has been exhaustively probed, and the moral implications never change.… Expand

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