Was drawn into seeing 'Replace' with a cool poster/cover, a very intriguing and creative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive. 'Replace' is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws those films are present here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. As a film it's lacklustre, with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small. There is very little good about itLets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky and 'Replace' is surprisingly well shot.Found too that the acting was not bad, doing their best with disappointingly nowhere near enough material to work with, and that there were a few nice twists that intrigued and weren't telegraphed too early.Unfortunately, the story does feel paper thin, disjointed and over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. The effects are ropy at best.Dialogue can be stilted and rambling, with lots of clichés and no depth whatsoever (definitely one of the worst assets), while the pace goes to a standstill very quickly and drags with very little going on worth caring about. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. There are a good deal of underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. There is not enough threat here and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, it is completely unimaginative and more odd than creepy, with little sense of horror or urgency. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden, inexperience seems to be all over the film. There is no creativity or anything shocking.As said previously very well, the music, sound and editing are the worst assets. The music is too loud, sounds cheap (may have worked 25 or so years ago but doesn't work here), tries far too hard to generate emotion and is far too predictably placed and often out of kilter. The sound is too echoey and often without warning or reason and makes some of the voices sound strange. The editing is haphazard and affects the coherence of some of the goings on and story structure.Overall, lacklustre but far from unwatchable. 4/10 Bethany Cox

Sorry for the inappropriate political pun I used there, but I just couldn't resist. While that is timely and I'm not sure the joke will be understood in 10 years (or even when the next president is on), the movie itself is timeles (pun very much intended). Immortality is something humans have been seeking out forever and something that is both appealing and appaling, if you really take your time and think about it.The movie starts off a bit weird, with a scenario that might leave you wondering what is going on. Like me, because I didn't read what this was about. Most twists can be seen way ahead of the time they arrive on screen, but it's still very enjoyable to watch. The actors are having fun with this ... let's call it body horror movie. And while it has quite a few flaws (pun intended), it is more than decent enough

Replace (2016) has been on my watch list ever since the official poster came out, what motivated me to watch the film was the body horror genre and the potential this film had. I knew almost nothing about this film, other than the IMDb bio and the mixed reviews. I recently found the film on DVD in HMV without a price-tag. When I sat down and watched the film I was instantly stunned by the introduction, however I quickly found myself foreseeing a disaster after the introduction. The execution of Replace is very amateur and bombastic, mainly the music choices, sound editing and the editing. The music was quite hyperbolized attempting its hardest to provoke any emotion that's intended, the problem is that the development for this film is lacking, so the soundtrack appears as bombastic. The sound editing was very baffling, you could clearly tell when a line was dubbed, however voices of the actors would echo randomly for no reason, the sound editing was very inconsistent and became a massive distraction. The editing for this film is perhaps the worst aspect, the editing really damages the film stylistically. This film is utterly confused on what style it intends to illustrate, this is conveyed through the complete switch of style of music, initially the soundtrack choice is synthetic, although later the soundtrack becomes orchestral, with very stock violins and bombastic motifs utilised to force the emotion down your throat. The editing is also a problem due to its tendency to flicker uncontrollably. At times you have no idea on what's happening.In terms of what this film accomplishes, the twists and gore effects are superbly done. The gore effects seem very organic, although these gore effects are juxtaposed by the unphased performance of the main character, the pain is barely felt.As a whole, Replace is a student film that has some great cinematography although also includes baffling editing, terrible sound design, sometimes laughable dialogue, and a score that's very bombastic and confused.

Kira (Rebecca Forsythe)'s skin starts to age rapidly, dry out and crumble away. But then she discovers that she can replace her own skin with somebody else's."Replace" is a film with an impeccable horror pedigree. Co-writer Richard Stanley is something of a legend with his films "Hardware", "Dust Devil" and the ill-fated "Island of Dr. Moreau". Co-star Barbara Crampton needs no introduction, wowing audiences since her time as a Stuart Gordon regular. And star Rebecca Forsythe adds a multi-generational aspect to the mix: she is the daughter of genre favorite William Forsythe. Horror fans will be thrilled to see her continue the family tradition.The film's imagery starts off hazy and is somewhat disorienting for viewers, which may be mildly annoying. Relax, however, as this effect quickly subsides and the need for such an introduction becomes understandable as the plot unfolds. You may say, "I thought this was a film about skin, not memory loss." But be assured that all your questions will be answered.And you will have questions, because the film is scripted very elaborately with multiple twists. Some of these will be obvious in retrospect, some much less so. This plays into the film's subtle brilliance, because once you think you outsmarted the filmmakers, be prepared to accept where they take the story next. This is a multi-layered onion with a treasure at its core."Replace" is a film all its own and defies comparisons. Some of the bloodier scenes might evoke thoughts of "Eat", and the idea of fighting against the aging process may call to mind Debbie Rochon's "Model Hunger". But "Replace" bears less than a passing resemblance to either of them, and far surpasses them both (with all due respect to Ms. Rochon). Very rarely is any film ever completely "new", but "Replace" manages to pull it off.The film in general is quite strong, with excellent performances from Forsythe and the supporting cast. Crampton's cold, emotionally-distant doctor is a bit off-putting, but considering that is exactly who her character is supposed to be, she nailed it. A special note of praise must be reserved for the set designers. Presumably, the film had a modest budget, but you would never know this from the use of spacious apartments and a very cleverly-constructed medical facility. This is filmmaking with heart."Replace" screens on July 16, 2017 at the Fantasia International Film Festival and is certain to be a fan favorite. Produced by our friends at Sparkling Pictures and directed by Norbert Keil, be sure to check it out.