Movie Review: Restore Point

Humanity’s understanding of medical and computer technology has grown so swiftly in the last several decades that we now worry about what will happen when we can cure any wounds and store our awareness in machines.

These are the driving forces behind Restore Point (Bod obnovy), a magnificent sci-fi thriller that pays tribute to classics like Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot, but never fully explores its many interesting concepts. As a result, it provides a good police investigation tale while underutilizing its distinctive sci-fi environment.

The term Restore Point alludes to a pioneering technology that became widely available in 1941, allowing you to back up your consciousness onto a server and restore a dead body in the event of an unnatural death. Of course, the arrival of marvelous technology does not automatically result in the resolution of human strife, which is why the world of Restore Point is plagued by rising social disparity and, as a result, crime.

People are afraid of losing their lives in a violent attack, which is why European governments have decided to give free resurrection to all of their residents through the Restore Institute. That is, in the film’s depicted future society, everyone is covered by government-issued insurance that can save people’s lives.

Restore Point Trailer

While restore points have the potential to transform the world, technology is fickle, and a person can only be revived if they have a backup that is less than 48 hours old. Many individuals wallow in paranoia as a result of this limitation, continually constructing replicas of their awareness to prevent losing any recollection.

Restore Point unfolds as a police investigation led by Detective Em (Andrea Mohylová), a lone wolf law enforcement with a personal grudge against a terrorist organization known as River of Life. River of Life would later reject restore point technology, murdering innocent individuals to illustrate their point. Em’s husband was one of those victims, prompting the investigator to go on a campaign to apprehend those guilty. As a result, it’s not unexpected that she’s irresponsible and disobeys the rules, proving herself to be anything but a team player.

Restore Point initially feels too predictable for its own good. We’ve heard the scenario of the traumatized officer far too often, and the writing by Tomislav eka, Zdenk Jeceln, and director Robert Hloz is a touch too safe in terms of stereotypes. That is unlikely to alter as the novel progresses, but Restore Point is so well-crafted that we are gradually drawn into Em’s research. When it comes to the thriller aspect of Restore Point, there’s commendable attention to detail, with fresh clues presented at just the appropriate pacing for the audience to connect some dots on their own while still wondering what happens next. It’s a good recipe for keeping people interested as Restore Point explains the world’s laws.

A murder inquiry, as predicted, will send Em on a frantic hunt for the truth regarding restore point technology. It’s all linked to the Restore Institute, a firm that aims to defy government regulations and privatize the privilege to be revived. Science fiction has always been a potent weapon for criticizing corporate greed, and Restore Point is no exception. Unfortunately, regardless of how good the production value of Restore Point is, the tale is quite underwhelming. The primary reason for this is that Em’s inquiry fails to examine the astounding repercussions of technology resurrection and human awareness transformed into data.

While there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the narrative for Restore Point, sci-fi as a genre flourishes when it dares to innovate. As a result, the film’s by-the-numbers storytelling style hurts it, as we can see there was a more engaging method to investigate its namesake technology. The storyline hardly touches on the full impact of its breakthrough technology on the fabric of the planet.

Detective Em must visit a shady institution at some point to get a peek of Restore Point’s underground. Without giving anything away, it scene exemplifies the film’s flaws. We are invited to envision what type of nasty games people having access to resurrection may play, and how far crime lords would push the technology to its boundaries in just a few minutes. There are so many intriguing questions that arise from Restore Point’s main notion that it’s a shame the film chose the most apparent road rather than diving into sci-fi’s subversive legacy.

In Restore Point, there’s a whole universe of untapped possibilities hidden in plain sight, and the most intriguing subject the film asks is never addressed on screen. Much of this may be excused because it is the debut film in the careers of the majority of the actors and crew. Nonetheless, considering how well-directed Restore Point is, it’s evident that this team can aim higher and offer more innovative sci-fi themes.

Rating: B-