vchimpanzee Reese is the new kid at school. It probably doesn't help that his father is the new chemistry teacher. But he also dresses in black and wears makeup--though I've seen far worse. Reese's dad makes a comment about how things will likely be better at this school. Well, that isn't going to be the case.Reese gets picked on more than most outcast teens I've seen in movies or on TV, but he does make friends. Zack is sort of a nerd, and his sister Ashley is an angry but sarcastic rebel. Phoebe is a new-age type who is allergic to most foods--and wool (but who eats wool?).Zack has discovered a portal in the woods on the side of a mountain, and he has recorded his observations and calculations on his laptop computer. He believes if the energy (which he describes as fusion) could be harnessed, we would no longer be dependent on fossil fuels.But the teens try something different. They discover that by stepping inside the field surrounding the portal, each one gets a different super power. Zack can read minds, Phoebe can move objects (in "Carrie" this was called telekinesis), and Ashley can persuade others to do whatever she says--provided the other person is not strong-willed enough to resist. Reese's power is harder to figure out--it turns out to be the ability to heal. The powers don't last but a few days, so periodic recharging is necessary.At first, the teens' new abilities provide comedy relief as well as a fantasy for anyone who was ever mistreated (or even perceived themselves as being mistreated) in school, by students or faculty. But Moss, who has been working with Zack on studying the portal, warns Zack that these powers could be dangerous. Moss is right.This was not that bad a movie. But one sign it wasn't great: actors with one line delivered that line with all the enthusiasm that one line deserves. In fact, in really good movies, a single line can be delivered so well that the performance is memorable.The four lead actors did a good job at least some of the time. Melissa Martin did the best as the rebellious and sarcastic Ashley.The dress and behavior of these lead performers did not fit stereotypes (of course, Ashley's actions went beyond the usual even before she received her abilities). None of them would have been perceived as weird-looking if we hadn't been told they were supposed to be. This is good in that the movie didn't resort to the device of making the characters extreme examples of a certain personality type. Zack wasn't a Steve Urkel, even if he seemed to have Steve's intelligence. In fact, his grades weren't that good.The music, if you can call it that, usually managed to be quite loud. It was alternative rock and high-tech dance music, for the most part. Most of it wasn't as unnerving as what was used for the opening and closing credits--this would probably appeal to teens like Reese. It all sounds like garbage to me, but somehow I got the impression it might be considered quality stuff. Certainly the dance music wasn't of the Britney Spears/Hilary Duff variety. More like dark basements in the bad section of town with flashing lights at 2 in the morning. I did like the polka music in one scene where someone was trying to bring Ashley under control.I'm not hard to please when it comes to visual effects. Bright colored cloud effects and fast movement seemed to be enough here. Nothing ground-breaking. And of course each teen's eyes glowed in a weird color as each power was used.Surprisingly, this film had little real violence. We were constantly subjected to rapid-fire editing of some flashback of a bloody event in Reese's past which might explain his behavior. And we also saw the aftermath of an event in the movie itself.The best thing I can say is that for mistreated teens, this film represents a fantasy, but it also shows consequences.

glasgowfranko1981 Most movies I have picked up from my local £1 store have been quite crap, and its only out of sympathy that I would come on here and give a moderate to fair review. This film broke the £1 shop mould, and was actually very good! Good acting (for the most), good story, good casting and a good ending.The only thing that spoiled it was Reece's Dad's bad overdubbing in the opening scenes driving in the car and the fact that some scenes were repeated to pad out what was edited out for the UK release.This film is well worth picking up if you see it, and well worth watching if it comes on TV. And doesn't the bad girl of the plot look like Saskia from UK Big Brother? ;)

TheManWhoWasntThere That's a lie. It wasn't shockingly bad. I wasn't surprised at all at how bad this was.Actually, the only reason I saw this film was because they filmed it at my high school in the small town of Simi Valley. I remember when they filmed it ( I believe I was a sophomore or a freshmen at the time)i was an extra in the background with a gripfull of other students.After a lot of time, I finally saw it... and with no hope for it at all. But MAN! Holy freakin' god! This movie is painful to watch.Maybe its because they filmed all over my hometown and tried to make it look like a random beach city.... but its not. Its Simi Valley... VALLEY, about an hour away from any beach.The acting was lame, which I expected, the special effects I didn't even want to consider. The editing/sound editing was pathetic beyond belief and when I saw that there was a screenwriter....well, that was a joke all on its own. It makes me wonder, did this movie cost really anything at all? Probably not much. Don't waste your time. Go enjoy your time and watch yourself in the mirror for an hour and a half. There's probably better surprises there anyway.

Paul Andrews The Source begins as troubled teen goth Reese Hauser (Mathew Scollon) & his Father Jerry (Johnny Venocur) look to start a new life in a non discript American town somewhere. Things get off to a bad start as Reese quickly finds himself & his goth lifestyle being ridiculed by just about everyone else, add this to the fact that his Father is the new history teacher, the school principal McKinley (Ronald Rezac) is a bit of a bully himself & things are not going well. However Reese is befriended by fellow losers, goth's & nerds Zack Bainbridge (Edward DeRuiter), his sister Ashley (Melissa Renee Martin) & their friend Phoebe Lewis (Alice Frank). While out exploring some lithium deposits in some local woods the four discover a magical rock which concentrates all the lithium's power into one stream which, when stepped in, enhances ones psychical attributes as well as unlocking secret dormant powers, Zack calls it 'scionics'. Zack gains the power of telepathy, Ashley has the power to control others & phoebe has the power of telekinesis while Reese has the power of psychical regeneration & healing. At first they use their new found powers to gain a humiliating but ultimately harmless revenge on their tormentors, that is until one of the group decides use their powers for rather more sinister reasons...Edited, co-written & directed by Steve Taylor I was quite surprised at how much I didn't hate The Source, I think that's a better way of putting it than how I much I liked it as I don't really want to give the impression that The Source is any sort of masterpiece. The script by Taylor & Roger Kristian Jones moves along at a fair pace & to be brutally honest rips-off The Craft (1996), or should that be borrows some of it's ideas & themes? I unexpectedly quite liked the character's in The Source, they all have just enough personality to be likable which was essential if The Source is to work as a film & engage the viewer while a special mention goes to the the girls in The Source who are seriously hot which doesn't hurt. Generally it's pretty lightweight stuff, it doesn't even try to say meaningful things about serious issues like bullying, depression, conflicts with parents, theft & friendship that The Source brings up. Instead it skates around them a little which is fine as the acting & writing involved isn't really up to high drama, but we do get lots of special powers being put to good or bad use & where on Earth did the idea of a magical rock come from? The Source also went into a direction that I didn't expect & a nice climax.Director Taylor turns The Source into a feature length music video. He tries everything, editing tricks, shots where the camera tilt's back & forth for no apparent reason, hand held jerky shots, slow motion, reduced frame rate, the image turned upside down & various other gimmicky techniques. One more thing I have to point out is that The Source is probably the brightest film I have watched, from the garish clothes to the outside scenes where the grass looks so bright it would glow in the dark & for some reason there are flashes of light shooting around the screen all the time almost as if someone was shining a torch on random objects in the scene, very strange & I'm not sure what it's all about. The Source lacks any real violence or gore, a cut arm & a few splashes of blood is about it while there isn't any nudity either.On a technical level The Source isn't too bad considering that the budget must have been small to say the least. It was obviously shot on video rather than film which might explain why it looks so bright, unfortunately when something is shot on video it has that cheap 'n' nasty look & feel to it. The music sounds like it has come straight from a techno rave CD while generally speaking it's quite well made. Apart, that is, from one or two poor CGI special effects particularly at the end. The acting is decent enough & I think I'm in love with Melissa Renee Martin...I wasn't expecting to but I actually rather liked The Source, it's nothing to heavy, it's good fun & provides 100 odd minutes worth of entertainment. Don't get me wrong it isn't brilliant but I personally think it's well worth a watch.