What would you do if you met your own double? Probably not the same as this bunch of idiots.
So, it’s a house party full of dumb, hormonal teens. There are all the usual goings on that you would expect – drinking, debauchery, random nudity and teenage angst are in plentiful supply.
David (Rhys Wakefield, aka that creepy posh kid from The Purge) is stuck in a rut, refusing to change any aspect of his life and is more than happy to just let life wash by with the minimal amount of fuss possible. After a rather peculiar setup where he ends up kissing another girl, his girlfriend Jill (Ashley Henshaw) leaves him and he then decides he’s going to get her back. So he joins his friends Teddy (Logan Miller) and Alison (Colleen Dengel and, er, Suzanne Dengel – you’ll find out why soon enough) at a house party where Jill is due to attend. Teddy is looking to score with any woman that shows interest in him – Step up Melanie (Natalie Hall).
While all of this is going on inside, a meteorite crashes into the ground and starts messing up the electricity supply. Then things get weird. Suddenly there are two versions of everyone at the party. Are events repeating themselves for just our intrepid trio, or is there something else at play?
As the evening unravels and time wibbles about the place, the teens display a surprising amount of bloodlust that is inspired by their complete lack of understanding about what’s happening to them. It’s worth pointing out that at no point is there any genuine sense of threat posed by the doubles. It’s only Colleen Dengel and her twin Suzanne as Alison (who doesn’t get a named character credit at the end, for obvious reasons) who finds any peace in the fact there are two versions of her out there. For everybody else, it’s all about the perceived threat rather than the reality.
Plus there is the resolution for David. It sits a little uncomfortably when you take into consideration all of the unpleasant things he gets involved in as he tries to ensure Jill gets back together with him. He’s an unlikeable character who tries to take advantage of this rather peculiar situation in order to best suit his own needs.
Why does everybody take an instant dislike to the fact they have a double? It is the fear of the unknown and “The Other” of course, but what drives normal, ordinary teens to become crazed killers? Surely there are more rational responses to all of this? You could argue that they are all tanked up on alcohol so rational thought might not play a part, but the leap in narrative logic is disappointing.
If you’re looking for a decent explanation for all of this, I’d suggest you keep walking. The issue is, really, a poor explanation and establishment of the time travel mechanics that come into play. When it comes to time travel, the KISS formula always wins; Keep It Simple, Stupid. What we have here is needlessly complex for what would otherwise be a great idea.
