Leofwine_draca
It's the filming style that I had a hard time with when watching this film. Everything is dark, subdued, and depressing if you think about it. There's little in the way of incident in the story, not much in the way of emotion either, just a dark path for our hero to journey down until he reaches enlightenment at the ending. I'm sure the film-makers had the best intentions but this turns out to be plodding and rather dull I'm afraid.The underrated Paul Walker stars as a low rent career criminal who's blessed with a loving wife and daughter. Unfortunately he's sent to death row where he's given a lethal injection for his part in a triple murder. Later, he wakes up and discovers he's a gardener at a remote institution. Is it a dream? Is this the afterlife? Or is something more sinister going on? Does anyone care? The storyline has potential, I admit that, but everything's so slow and uninteresting that I just didn't (care, that is). Walker puts in a solid performance but his character is underwritten for the most part and solid character actors like Bob Gunton, Lambert Wilson, and Tony Curran are wasted in their roles. I'm afraid THE LAZARUS PROJECT was a bore for me.
videorama-759-859391
TLP would be the most intriguing and original film Paul Walker ever did. It's a very obscure pic as in movie exposure, where this good film has slipped through the ranks. I'm glad I've finally got to view this one, as wanting to see it for years, as I am a big Paul Walker fan. Yes I like original films, but I felt the early part of the story before Paul was spared execution, was a bit rushed, and not effective, where there could of been a bit more meat of story, where really the film wants to get to the heart of the story, where from here, it stays strong. This film really wouldn't of worked cinematically like a couple of other Walker films. There are a couple of hazy parts here and there, as in the latter part of story. The real reason for Walker's new life really comes as no surprise, especially a bummer at the end, but a relief, as in terms of the bad people are really not that bad. There was one scene where Ben Garvey (Walker) is in total despair realizing the helplessness of his situation, that he can't go back to his old life, ever, and take up with his wife and kid. There were some predictabilities in the film that knows where it's going. Performance wise, Walker was very good, especially as in being believable, and dramatic, but there are those all too patent Walker traits, the walk, the laugh, and again, he gets the beautiful women, though it is hard to beat his be compared to his best performances which were in Running Scared and Pawn Shop Chronicles. His character here was much like the one in Hours. This is another of those films, you're dying to see how it concludes, and again, it's no surprise, but it's how you how you wanted to end in, one of the most beautiful endings, if surreal, when thinking about it. The Lazurus Project is engrossing, and I admit, I did expect more from it. One feels it could of had a better handling of story, where merely I'm speaking of it's sloppy early duration. If your a Paul Walker fan, watch, not only for that, but for our late star turning in a very believable, and heartfelt performance. No surprise Bob 'Shawshank Redemption' Gunton, is running this psychiatric hospital/jail.
matthewworsley
Basically everything after his execution was his little girls dream... U don't know it until literally the last 30seconds of the film. It finished with the girl fast asleep on the sofa and she even says I dream of daddy living in the forest etc... So if the whole film had been true she couldn't have possibly known this... It was all in the girls head , she missed her father. Over quite a good film even if the sorry was a little over complicated for a small girls dream. Perhaps not Paul walkers best work (not that he had much if any anyway) but I'd still recommend it. Other character were okay although the implant they had in their arms was never properly explained as to what it was for, come to think of there were quite a few holes in the story...
jido_12345
The cast's acting is definitely not the downfall of this movie. However it was a little bit dragging, then they tried to put in the twist and it never made go "what?!" or "what is going on here?!" instead i just simply said "really?... its obvious what the reality is and what the institution is trying to do" after all its said and done, when Ben goes back home... whats next? 1. he has no identity because apparently he is dead. how can a dead man live unnoticed? 2. surely the FBI or who the hell ever is responsible will do something about a man who was sentenced to execution is now freely roaming the state of Texas.the story line was simply a disappointment, it did not make sense and it does not add up.if you haven't seen shutter island, now that/s a movie with the twist this one tried to do!
AD
