Sommerleigh Pollonais – Senior Writer
What happens if you took the serial killer motif of Se7en, the premise of Unbreakable and a deep love of comic books and nerd culture, and mixed them all together in a Spanish blender? Well you just might end up with a movie like Unknown Origins.
A serial killer in Madrid is murdering people while imitating the origin/creation stories of the most famous superheroes.
This movie is insane! I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like it. Yes it’s heavily inspired by the films I listed above, but it takes a truly creative mind to put such opposing genres together. We’re talking about some really brutal serial killings with crime scenes that would make John Doe envious, blended with comedy and drama that both pokes fun, and at the same time shows a deep love for the diehard fans who adore superheroes and fantasy worlds alike. Trust me when I say, it’s a superhero and super villain origin story unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
While I give director and co-writer, David Galan Galindo points for such an ambitious undertaking, I have to be honest and state, this movie struggles to keep its tone flowing smoothly. The dark and disturbing nature of the murders just don’t fit well with the light hearted tone the movie is ultimately going for, and the pacing is all over the place. Then there’s the issue of the language barrier. Now whenever a movie is being translated for English audiences from its native tongue, there’s always a chance emotional moments don’t hit the way they’re supposed to. I have a strong feeling that’s what happened here (to an extent) so I only laughed at a few of the jokes and the more dramatic moments didn’t hit home the way I’m sure they must’ve have for the Spanish going audiences.
I will give props to a few of the actors here. Brays Efe as the nerd with all the knowledge, Jorge Elias, was instantly likeable and relatable. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that I’m a card carrying member of the Nerd Brigade (and proud of it!). Ernesto Alterio as the medical examiner Bruguera was also a win for me because, while he doesn’t have a lot of scenes, his character definitely makes an impact. Sadly lead actor Javier Rey as our detective David Valentin came across as a bit too gruff and mean for my liking. I get what they were going for, but if you don’t have charisma to balance out the rough edges, all you’re gonna end up with is a douche bag. Jus’ sayin’.
So here’s my final take on Unknown Origins (I think the original title fits the movie better – Secret Origins) – you should most definitely check this out! As messy as it is, it was still an intriguing enough set up, that I had to see where it would end. And like I said before, you’ve never seen a superhero movie, as bat-crap insane as this one.
Rating 5.5 out of 10
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Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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