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Forbidden Power Review

April 7, 2018 | Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz
Forbidden Power
7.5
The 411 Rating
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Forbidden Power Review  

Forbidden Power Review

Lincoln Bevers– George
Nasanin Nuri– Veronica
Hannah Janssen– Cathy
Eric Stayberg– Miles
Harry Mok– Chang
Hugo Miranda Vergana– Frank
Charles Leggett– Michaelson
Ray Simon– Joey
Kaiya Gray– Young Veronica

Directed by Paul Kyriazi
Screenplay by Paul Kyriazi, based on his novel of the same name

Unrated
Runtime– 96 minutes

ForbiddenPowerPoster

Forbidden Power, written and directed by Paul Kyriazi, is a mega ambitious low budget sci-fi flick about a man who receives extraordinary powers and then has to figure out how to deal with them. What it lacks in budget it makes up for it with a terrific idea and committed performances, especially from Nasanin Nuri.

The movie stars Lincoln Bevers as George, an ex-Air Force pilot in a dead end job that he hates but keeps doing because he doesn’t have many options (well, obvious options). While appearing at a convention with his douchebag friend and work rival Miles (Eric Stayberg) George meets Veronica (Nuri), a gorgeous Native American woman who immediately wants to meet privately with George in his hotel room. At first, George doesn’t know what to make of Veronica’s offer. In what world would a super hot babe like Veronica be interested in a guy like George, some random dude she meets at a convention? George eventually accepts that it happened and that Veronica wants to meet with him, so he agrees to have her up to his hotel room. He buys some condoms just in case, but assumes that it’s just going to be a drink date (George also gets some money from an ATM because, hey, Veronica might be a prostitute and it would be awkward to not have money waiting for her).

So Veronica comes up to George’s room, they engage in some small talk, she shows him her weird beard Indian doll, she then gets naked, and they have batshit amazing unprotected sex. The next morning, George wakes up alone, with a strange note on the mirror. Who the hell was she? Why did she want to have sex so damn quickly? And why the hell does he feel so damn different all of a sudden? He feels stronger, smarter, and he can get more work done than usual. George is now also able to have supremely athletic sex with his girlfriend Cathy (Hannah Janssen), something he apparently couldn’t do before.

So then some stuff happens, George comes to the conclusion that Veronica gave him special powers via sex, and he decides that he needs to find out where she came from and how she was able to give him what she apparently gave him. George also decides to learn martial arts with the help of local badass Chang (Harry Mok). Because of his new powers, George can learn pretty much anything quickly and become an expert at it, so he becomes a martial arts badass immediately. George then starts his own investigation. The investigation leads George to a small town in Arizona where Veronica apparently grew up. It’s here that George finds out about Veronica’s backstory and how, years ago, a meteor crashed out in the desert and little Veronica (Kaiya Gray) was visited by something in the crater.

Visited by what?

While all of that is going on, George renegotiates his work contract, tries to make some big money on the stock market, and meets with a strange man who knows Veronica and is part of a super group of elite people who try to exert influence on the people around them. Led by a man named Michaelson (Charles Leggett), this super group demands strict obedience. George really isn’t too keen on joining any group, even if it’s a group filled with similar people. He’s got his own shit going on, he doesn’t have time to deal with anything else.

Big mistake. Once you go Veronica there’s no go going back. You’re a part of whatever the hell it is Veronica and the group want to do. And, as far as I can tell, they intend to, eventually, take over the world. The rest of the movie is essentially a big chase sequence, with George teaming up with Cathy, Chang, and a man named Frank (Hugo Miranda Vergana) to get away from Michaelson and Veronica’s forces.

Forbidden Power is a bit of a slow burn in terms of finding out what, exactly, is going on with the group run by Michaelson and Veronica. I’m not sure it should take as long as it does to get to that point, though. Forbidden Power works best when its story is moving, with George trying to figure out what’s going on with his new powers and sort of new life. The movie starts to get bogged down when we see George using his new powers to try to improve his life. This stuff is confusing. There’s also a sequence where Veronica meets up with a biker guy in a bar in San Jose for some reason. I’m still not sure what that whole meeting was about. I’m generally okay with it because Veronica gets naked again, but beyond that what the hell is going on here?

The idea behind the story, that there are potentially unscrupulous people out there with special powers that they got through amazing sex, is freaking brilliant and unsettling once you start thinking about it. What other sort of influence do these people have and what do they hope to gain? What is their end game? Why do they want to take over the world?

At the same time, it’s obvious that Forbidden Power was made for a modest at best budget and that its ambition is greater than the resources it has to make that ambition a cinematic reality. That doesn’t mean director Kyriazi and company aren’t working their asses off to make a good movie. They are, and to a certain extent they succeed. Forbidden Power excels at making you think. The movie would be better, though, if it had more action in it or more nudity or both. More energy wouldn’t be a bad thing.

The action Kyriazi manages to stage is decent, especially a quick street fight sequence where we see Harry Mok’s Chang in full badass mode. There’s also a nifty action sequence towards the end of the movie where the good guys face off against the bad guys at a pier. There’s also a cool looking train crash sequence towards the middle of the movie that looks way more expensive than it likely was to film.

The movie kicks ass when it comes to nudity, and that’s all due to the presence of Nasanin Nuri. She is absolutely gorgeous, and when she takes her clothes off it is nothing short of breathtaking. Nuri has a magnetic screen presence anyway, but when she goes into full on vixen/seductress mode, all I can say is holy shit. Who cares if that doll she’s carrying around is creepy as hell? Did you see her standing in front of the bed? My God!

Lincoln Bevers does a fine job as George. You can tell that life has kicked this guy’s ass and that until Veronica meets him he didn’t know why he should wake up in the morning. He’s probably a little too in control of his emotions throughout the movie, but I like that he isn’t a guy that isn’t going to get too excited, even when he’s pissed off. Losing his mind isn’t going to help anyone.

Hannah Janssen does a good job as Cathy, George’s girlfriend. You feel bad for her because you know more about what’s going with George than she does, and you end up wondering how she would react to the idea that George cheated on her at the convention if there wasn’t some weird beard secret cabal of elites out to get them. Would she be okay with it?

Charles Leggett, as Michaelson, and Eric Stayberg as Miles sort of try to out douchebag one another in different ways. Michaelson is a ruthless prick who has been put in charge of Veronica’s growing organization, and Miles is an opportunistic prick at work. I’m not sure who is the bigger douchebag at the moment. As I write this, I’m leaning towards Michaelson, but tomorrow I might be on Team Miles. Who knows?

And Harry Mok is awesome as the badass martial artist Chang. His big speech about 9/11 is inspiring in a way (he ain’t taking shit from anyone anymore), and it’s a hoot when he gets involved in the story again towards the end and starts kicking ass. The movie certainly could have used more of him, that’s for sure.

ForbiddenPowerShootout

Forbidden Power is an interesting movie watching experience. It’s watchable, intellectually exciting, and has the kind of ambition that so many low budget sci-fi movies lack. I don’t know if it’s completely successful, it sure as heck could have used more action and or nudity to amp up the story, but what Kyriazi and company put together is worth checking out. It’s a good start to a potentially larger story, if and when there is a Forbidden Power 2. And there should absolutely be a Forbidden Power 2.

See Forbidden Power. See it, see it, see it.

So what do we have here?

Dead bodies: At least 10.

Explosions: A few.

Nudity?: Yes, and it is truly exceptional.

Doobage: A meteor hitting Earth, a kid inside a crater, convention hooey, guy shit, a robot TV thing, a thing about stopping internets fraud, business card hooey, condom buying, toenail painting, a creepy as all hooha Indian doll, some of the most exceptional nudity ever filmed, a mirror message, weird dreams, athletic sex, clothes buying, more athletic sex, major league weight lifting, a total lack of interest in coffee, martial arts training, a martial arts flashback story, even more sex, attempted stabbing, small bat throwing, travel by train, talk of getting robbed, beating the fuck out of a fat guy for no reason, briefcase delivery, some dude with a gun, multiple stock shenanigans, a box of supplies, a big meeting, shoe removal, alien hooey, bullet to the head, boat hooey, a shootout, an escape, and room for a sequel.

Kim Richards?: Attempted, in a way.

Gratuitous: Arizona, San Francisco, talk of a woman possibly being a prostitute, 24-hour adult videos at the hotel, green screen cityscape backgrounds, small talk, a flag flying at half-staff, multiple instances of athletic sex, sexually transmitted power, talk of 9/11, talk of an Eagles song, a guy with a shotgun standing in front of a giant fire, Russian roulette, stock hooey, Las Vegas, a microwave, guy talking about how he banged s hot Chinese woman at work, a tandem bicycle live music, a Billy Jack reference, a guy coming up with a plan to get rid of a dead body, and room for a sequel.

Best lines: “And when did you become my boss?,” “The early bird gets the worm. Am I the bird or the worm?,” “I’m not a professional anything,” “A pro like that will cost you a thousand dollars,” “Good. She’s cancelling,” “I haven’t totally deserted my heritage,” “You won’t need those. Or the cash,” “Well, whatever you’re on I wouldn’t mind having some,” “Wow, you sure are a good loser,” “Well, you know what they say, never argue with an idiot. They just bring you down to their level and beat you with experience,” “You owe me forty dollars!,” “You know you’re a real jerk,” “You punks just standing there watching this?,” “Man, I hate violence. Nothing good ever comes from it,” “Can somebody call security so I can go back to work?,” “No one makes love for this long where I come from,” “You guys talking about that Indian kid?,” “What the hell was Veronica doing out there that night?,” “You sure put the Jesse James to me,” “Look, I’ve got some beer money, not Las Vegas money,” “If you try, I’ll break your neck,” “Fifty thousand dollars? Just to deliver a briefcase?,” “Listen, I’ll deliver that briefcase to hell of you want to, and spit in the Devil’s eye,” “I can get a raise on my own. I don’t need your strong arm tactics,” “This your first time at the Playboy mansion?,” “So, who recruited you?,” “Wow, you’re really an entrepreneur, aren’t you?,” “Tell me, did that double intensity really pop out of your pocket?,” “Whoa, don’t drink too much or you’ll be as useless as a melted candle,” “This doesn’t change anything, you’re still a loser,” “I see you still have what’s his name with you,” “Loner or not, those meetings are mandatory,” “You know, I’d really like to know what’s happening with all of this,” “Turn on the TV and come to bed with me,” “Jesus, you really did a number on her, man,” “George must have been crazy to shoot a hot chick like you,” “I’ve got a .38 revolver and no ammo,” “Jesus, Michaelson, all this power and you’re all just a bunch of terrorists,” “You forgot something, Michaelson. Every side has two nights,” and “I think it’s time we give your package a deep six.”

7.5
The final score: review Good
The 411
Forbidden Power is an ambitious, low budget sci fi flick from writer/director Paul Kyriazi. It doesn’t quite completely gel, but the story and direction make it watchable throughout. The performances are generally good, especially the lovely Nasanin Nuri as a dangerous vixen at the heart of the story. Can’t wait for the sequel, and there definitely needs to be a sequel. Good damn movie.
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