Perhaps I missed something, but I didn't see much by way of Mark's background in the movie. At least not enough to suggest that the simple training, running and swimming done immediately after the shedding would lead to the new Damien being such an expert in hand to hand combat and weapons? In some scenes he made Jason Bourne look like an amateur - but there didn't seem to be anything in the background to explain this?
shareThey were regressed memories (reflexes)from Mark, who was trained as a soldier. I admit he clearly was apparently some kind of 'super' soldier...but for what it was, a fairly lighthearted sci-fi action - it made enough sense. In fact, for a movie that wasn't on the radar of a self confessed movie-trailer addict...it was pretty decent!
shareAhh - thanks for that. I must have missed that part. I liked the movie overall, except that part seemed either terribly convenient or not really emphasised enough.
shareOne thing I really like about this movie is that it combined three different movie genres into one. It is pretty boring if a movie is only one genre.
It was part compelling human drama. Yes you could make an entire movie about an old man dying of cancer trying to come to terms with his mortality and make peace with the world, especially an estranged daughter.
It is part slightly creepy Twilightzone-esque science fiction
and part action/adventure with gun fights, fist fights and chases like a Jason Bourne movie.
The body he was in having been a soldier with latent reflexes of hand to hand combat was a very creative plot device to enable the main character to be a badA$$.
My friend who I saw it with did not like it much. She felt there was not enough science fiction. I appreciated the mixture of genres.
I badly want a sequel. Maybe someone else could take command of what is left of the criminal organization that steals bodies and the main character could be a rich elderly woman afraid to die who has her mind transferred into a beautiful young lady.
At some point in the movie I would want her boyfriend to say to her "lighten up already, jeez why do you have to act like an old lady all the time". That would be so ironic and funny.
Damien "died" at the age of 68. There was very little character built of his younger years. Who knows, he may have been a specialized soldier or martial artist at some time. Having that skill, now in an appropriate body, with the memories and learned patience of his mental age, coupled with Mark's "regressed" memories, just might make him superhero-like.
Now, we can look forward to the sequel. Mark, equipped with the "regressed" memories of Damien, 2 minds in one, with an unlimited budget. That equals a Tony Stark of the Caribbean, maybe?
Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid.