Once again I put my trust in movie based on what others have said. Once again I thought from the premise that it would be in the horror genre. I’m starting to get sick of being wrong. Coherence is the latest one of many on what is becoming a long list of misjudged forays, being a mysterious sci-fi thriller, and although it was good, I was still a little disappointed.

It’s hard to get into what Coherence is really about without giving anything away. What I can tell you is it is about a group of friends at a dinner party. Just as things get underway, a comet passes by and the power goes out. The group realizes the whole neighborhood is dark…except for one house two blocks away. That’s about how much detail I was given when I was told about this movie. Well, also that it’s “CRAZY“. So my mind immediately jumped to the extremes of horror.

While there isn’t any excessive gore or in-your-face scares the film does do a good job at building a sense of underlying fear (a structure the last movie I reviewed didn’t adhere to at all). Coherence goes further and further down the rabbit hole and when certain things get revealed it makes your stomach SINK. The plot rapidly unravels itself to the point of confusion but it is completely integral to the mind-bending nature of the story.

My main problem with Coherence lies in the characters’ decision making. There were a few obvious things most normal people would do that would probably RUIN the logic of the movie. For instance, once again without spoiling anything, if the power went out and I am inclined to check out the one house with working electricity I would still most likely check with the powerless next door neighbor or a friend that lives close by. I wouldn’t just go to a stranger’s house. Also, if strange shit was going on and I came across other people on the street, I would at least try to communicate with them to see what the hell was going on instead of just booking it. This, coupled with the mildly unsatisfying ending, knocks Coherence down a peg. It is definitely still a solid choice when picking out your next mentally challenging film, and if you do decide to watch make sure you look into the impressive way they created everything afterwards.

4 celestial bodies out of 5

★★★★☆