Immanence, movie (2022)
image © Bluefields Entertainment
Article updated: 2023.02.03
The Immanence (2022) is a contemporary fantasy thriller film. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.
Product: Immanence, movie (2022)
Original title: Immanence
Series: -
Setting: contemporary fantasy Earth
Product type: Film, Genre: contemporary fantasy thriller, Features: science fiction, thriller, contemporary fantasy (fantasy), religion: Christianity
Release: 2022.02.04
Reviewer: Kadmon, Type: Male, 40s, Preferences: Immersive, logical story, consistent setting, prefers surprises to spoilers, prefers establishing elements before referencing them
Watched: very recent (2022.02), first time
Rating: Weak (2- out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Weak (2- out of 3 points)
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This is my review of Immanence, a contemporary fantasy thriller movie from 2022. It's about a team of scientists going out on the sea to inspect a fallen meteorite with strange properties.. The Immanence film is watchable, but I only recommend it to dedicated fans of the genre.
If you'd like to be surprised by the Immanence film, I don't recommend you to watch the trailer beyond 0:18, because it gives away too much of the plot. It basically provides a summary of the first two thirds of the film, it's only the last third we are not shown.
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Review (spoiler-free) - Immanence, movie (2022)
I ran into this movie without any previous knowledge. The title sounded mysterious, and the premise sounded interesting. However, it was mostly the cover that convinced me, so I gave it a try without watching the trailer.
The Immanence movie is about a team of scientists going out on the sea to inspect a fallen meteorite with strange properties.
The concept of the story might be good (although the plot is still questionable), but the execution of the story was confusing and unfinished. The pacing is consistent. There are no character arcs. I didn't find major logical problems.
The cinematography is okay. Most of the shots are close-ups or extreme close-ups, so I assume this was made to be watched on a small screen.
The characters are acceptable, although we only get to know minor personal details about the main protagonists. The cast of Immanence film is okay, the actors play their roles fine.
The music (by Chris Bacon, Gad Emile Zeitune) is okay, it's fitting the movie.
Immanence is a watchable contemporary fantasy thriller, that I think only dedicated fans of the genre could enjoy.
My experience
I wasn't satisfied with Immanence (2022), due to the abrupt ending, with no resolution.
Rating: Weak (2- out of 3 points). Immanence is a well-made film, with a weak plot.
Enjoyment: Weak (2- out of 3 points). Immanence has an interesting, then doesn't go anywhere.
Rewatchability: I'm not sure. I think it's mostly the surprise of the story that makes you feel interested.
Chance of watching it again: No.
Chance of watching a sequel: I'd probably watch it.
Immanence, movie (2022)
image © Bluefields Entertainment
Will you enjoy this?
If you like mystery or thriller movies, you might like Immanence.
If you like supernatural or fantasy movies, you might like the Immanence film.
If you prefer science-fiction and scientific research movies, you might disappointed by Immanence (2022).
If you prefer visuals over story, this movie might be boring for you.
If you hate Christian propaganda movies, you might skip this film.
Watching for plot points
If you are interested in contemporary fantasy stories, I think it's worth watching the Immanence movie for the plot points.
Should you watch this on your own screen at home, or is it worth going to the cinema?
The visuals will look the same wherever you watch it.
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Immanence, movie (2022)
image © Bluefields Entertainment
Review with spoilers - Immanence, movie (2022)
I didn't like the Immanence movie. The concept of the story was good, but I feel that the creators didn't know where to go with it.
The story starts out as a straight science-fiction research, then it switches genre into a religious fantasy thriller.
Foreshadowing: The movie uses a great deal of foreshadowing, both directly and indirectly.
- The movie begins with a boat, that has six people missing. They see a bald man for a moment. At 10 minutes, they announce that there are six people on the boat, and a bald man is the captain. What will happen to them?
- They hear that they've found only two survivors. This adds tension, as the audience knows that there are six people - what will happen to four of them?
- The dark haired girl puts a rope around her neck while in trance. The Devil will tie her up similarly.
- The blond girl gets thrown on the bed. The Devil will kill her that way.
- The professor clutches his chest. The captain will stab him in the heart.
- The man gets hit by a loose screw nut in the jaw. He will be hit by a meteorite in the jaw.
Cover
The cover of the movie is okay, it doesn't say much, but it doesn't spoil the movie.
The trailer
The trailer is basically a substitute for watching the movie.
If you prefer spoilers, it's a great trailer for the Immanence film. If you prefer to avoid spoilers, it will ruin the movie for you.
Promise of the first scene
A rescue team tries to find the missing crew of a ship. It looks like there's someone out there for a moment. I'd assume this is going to be some kind of ghost story, or deep see creatures take the crew, but as I've read the premise, I remember it's aliens.
Execution: I was slightly surprised then, that it was the God and the Devil. But it didn't make a difference.
Plot summary / Synopsis
A rescue team arrives on a ship. The crew of six is missing. The ship seems intact. For a moment, a team member seems to see a man, but it disappears.
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We see that astronomers watching the sky notice something unusual. They call a team together.
There's a professor (Anthony Ruivivar as Roman). There's a black man (Michael Beach as Jonah), who is religious (Pentecostalist), trying to find cases of demonic possession, who seems to have a habit of drinking alcohol. There's a redhead girl (Summer Bellessa as Naomi), who seems skeptic about religion, but she is offered a job by the professor if they are successful .
They all meet on the boat (Odyssey). There's the owner of the ship (Eugene Byrd as Davis). There's also a dark haired girl (Asenneth del Toro as Suzu), and a blond girl (Kasia Pilewicz as Harper), who belong to the scientists. The black man is the captain of the ship.
The professor tells them their mission - something fell into the sea, and while it passed a satellite, that sensed a broadcast signal. An institute (SETI) asked them to check the area.
At the point of impact (that happens to be in the Bermuda Triangle), they get into an anomaly - the water is smooth as glass, without waves. The professor has a hypothesis that the alien craft leaked some kind of oil that dampens the waves. They find dead fish, that looks like they were boiled. The captain says that it was written in the Book of Job of the Bible, that the seas will boil, and they will be like oil.
Suddenly, every electronic device goes out, except for the receiver, that still gets signals.
Then the electronics wake up, and something big hits the ship. They find a live pig in the fishing cage. They try to leave, but the ship doesn't move. The captain tells them that the seas belong to the Devil, and demons once possessed pigs, who jumped into the sea. He thinks that the things are happening here, because God tries to show us the Devil, so we won't forget about the evil.
Then, a copy of their own ship appears, empty and dark. The dark haired girl stays on the original boat, the others go out.
While on the other ship, they hear radio chatter about a rescue team searching through their ship, but finding nothing. From inside the ship, they see searchlights, but when they get out of the cabin, they can't see anything out there. They hear that the rescue team found two survivors.
The blond girl gets possessed, and starts to say 'it's an open door for the Devil" over and over. The redhead girl falls through the floor, and finds herself in the water, in the fishing cage. The dark haired girl gets fixated on the pig. The professor tries to catch the stars. The captain drops the pig into the water, and the dark haired girl, the blond girl and the professor come to their senses. The redhead girl finds herself in another cage, out of the water.
They get back on their own ship. A stranger (Jamie McShane as Immanence) enters the cabin, kills the dark haired girl and the blond girl. He tells the captain that he provoked him, so this is what he wanted. The stranger mocks the professor for not believing that the Bible says the truth, but he reassures the professor that in two years he'll find out how dark matter works, he'll confirm supersymmetry. The stranger tells the ship's owner that he'll become rich. He offers to heal the cancer of the mother of the redhead girl. However, there's four of them now, and he only lets two of them go. He'll let three of them go, if the one they leave is the captain. Then the stranger leaves, and tell them they have about 20 minutes to decide.
The captain says that he saw that they've deployed the emergency beacon on the other craft, so they should do that.
The others start to speculate that the name of the captain, Jonah is no coincidence, he was clinically dead for three minutes a couple of years ago, but he was resuscitated, so he escaped from God. The Bible says that the people stopped the storm by casting Jonah into the water. The professor attacks the captain with a knife, but while wrestling, the knife gets into the chest of the professor. The ship's owner attacks the captain. The redhead girl says the she has to stay, as she was in the cage. They put her in the cage, and drop her into the water.
They see the objects they were looking for, flying over the ship. One of the objects hit the ship's owner in the head, killing him. The captain pulls the girl out of the water.
The setting
The Immanence film is set on a contemporary fantasy Earth, where supernatural powers (the God and the Devil) exist. Also, scientists are not allowed to accept the existence of God, and it's socially acceptable to mock people due to their religious beliefs.
Immanence, movie (2022)
image © Bluefields Entertainment
What really happened?
The movie doesn't provide explanations, so there are multiple theories that could be true. I inspect the Christian theory and the aliens theory. However, both seems to be unplausible elements.
What really happened? - Christian theory
Some time ago the Christian captain had a clinical dead in a scuba diving accident, and he saw the Devil for some reason, before he got resuscitated.
Later, the God of the Bible wanted to show the world his existence, so people would be also aware of the existence of the Devil. As God is a transcendent being, he can only interfere with the real world indirectly. So, he sent a meteorite to Earth, splashing into the Bermuda Triangle, that sent radio signals to SETI satellites. Then God made SETI send a select team of people on a ship to the coordinates.
When the team got to the place, God made the seas boil to kill the fish (or allowed the Devil to do it), and made the sea look like oil, so he can trick the scientists into believing. Unfortunately, this didn't work, they just thought the oil came from the meteorite, and the impact heat of the meteorite boiled the fish.
God switched the electricity off and on, hoping that it will finally convince the people, but they just thought it was a failure of the generator.
Then God exchanged the dead fish in the fishing cage into a living pig, for some reason, hoping that this will do the trick. It still didn't work, because the scientists think it was the religious captain, who did the exchange, to make fun of them.
Then God made a copy of their ship, as it would look a couple of hours later. This made the scientists have some doubts, but still didn't convince them that it's the work of God.
So, God, desperate to prove itself to these unbelievers, sent a radio message to them for some reason, that only two of them will survive. This still didn't convince them, and it also made the scientists uneasy of the situation.
At this time, God practically gave up, as he was running out of ideas, so he let the Devil possess people, and enchant others. This slightly disturbed them, but they still didn't come to the conclusion that it's the work of God.
So, God allowed the Devil to manifest himself, to kill two of the scientists (as atheists, they were probably not baptised, so they would have went to Hell anyway). To make sure to make the most out of the situation, the Devil promised them fame and fortune if they choose the captain to stay with the Devil. God didn't stop this, and waited for the outcome. Then God allowed the captain to kill the professor, and when God realised that they are good people, who don't want to make a bargain with the Devil, God struck one of them with a meteorite to kill him, as he already told them that only two will survive, and he had to make sure they remember that God is always right.
What really happened? - Aliens theory
An alien craft fell on Earth, right in the Bermuda Triangle. While falling, it broadcasted radio signals.
The fish around the craft were boiled - either due to the heat of the splashdown, or due to the intention of the aliens. The ocean became calm, like oil - it's either some kind of oil spilled from the craft, or it's the intentional work of the aliens.
When a human ship arrived in the vicinity. They tried to communicate with them with radio signals. They even switched on and off the electricity. But the humans didn't do anything to try to communicate back.
Then, for some reason, the aliens created or transported a live pig into the fishing cage of the ship. They probably tried to prove they can create life, or transport creatures. Maybe they've read the minds of the crew, and one of them wished for a pig, it's unclear.
As the aliens are able to manipulate time itself, they moved their ship from a couple of hours later time to the present. Then they probably tried to stimulate their brainwaves, as people started to act like maniacs. When the aliens have seen that the crew would kill the pig, they stopped this stimulation, and everything went back to almost normal.
Then, the aliens manifested in a human body, in a way that they've felt was expected of them - by that time, the captain convinced the people that it's the Devil they're dealing with, so the aliens came as the Devil. As expected, he killed two people, and offered a bargain to them, so they could feel comfortable by the familiar situation.
Then, the aliens waited for something to happen. It's not clear if they killed the guy with the meteor, or it just randomly fell on him.
The message of the story
I'm not sure there's one. Probably "God is real", and "if a script writer believes in God, they'll depict scientists as stupid morons".
The structure of the story
The scenes of the Immanence film are mostly played in sequence, following the same storyline. It begins with a flashforward, then we get back to the beginning.
There is no single viewpoint character.
It has a truncated arc of the dramatic structure - introduction, action, and it suddenly ends with no resolution.
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Things I liked
- The basic concept of the story is interesting.
- The foreshadowing elements were done fine.
- The actors were good. Jamie McShane was convincing as the devil.
- The sets looked good.
- I like it when the story switches genre, but I'm not entirely satisfied with the implementation here.
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How does it compare to the other works of the creators?
I haven't seen any other works of the writer (Joshua Oram) or the writer / director (Kerry Bellessa).
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Immanence, movie (2022)
image © Bluefields Entertainment
Analysis of the story - Immanence, movie (2022)
I mostly liked the story itself, it was the dramatic problems and lack of resolution that prevented me from enjoying Immanence.
Problematic elements
Establishing the setting: When a story is set in a universe that's very close to our world, it's a must that the creators should establish the differences early on. In this fantasy universe, it seems that scientists are not allowed to accept the existence of God, and it's socially acceptable to mock people due to their religious beliefs. It would have been useful to show some scenes in the beginning, establishing these. Either this, or the depiction of scientists in the movie is flawed.
Lack of equipment: The scientist go to examine a meteorite that splashed into the ocean, and sunk 2 miles down to the bottom. Yet, they don't carry any kind of underwater equipment to make measurements, videos, or take samples.
Lack of communication: The scientist also don't bring radios with them, to send their readings directly to SETI. It looks like they planned to make some readings, record them, then return to a port to send them. Based on the readings, the SETI would propose new kinds of tests, so they would have to return there for a couple of times.
Dead fish: Although the captain says that the fish were boiled, by the looks they were fried in oil. However, this fits with the seas of oil theory, so I don't mind that.
Killing off crewmembers: Why did the Devil start with killing people? If the whole meeting was arranged by God, did God allow the Devil to kill those girls?
Lack of ending: The fact that we don't get to know what will happen after the captain pulls out the girl, is unsatisfying.
Depiction of religion: As Mark Cole mentions, there were inconsistencies in the acting of the religious characters. One of them is a Presbyterian, who don't pray with rosaries, unlike the one in the movie.
Unanswered questions
- Why did the captain see the Devil when he drowned? Shouldn't he have seen God, as he was Christian? He should have gone to Heaven.
- Who was the bald man in the front of the ship in the beginning?
- What was the point with the pig?
- Why didn't they see the emergency beacon that captain seen?
- Why didn't they see the searchlight from the outside?
- How did the captain seen himself on the other boat?
- Who was the man in the steam in the engine room?
- What will happen to the survivors after the end of the Immanence film?
- Will the Devil heal the mother of the redhead girl, as promised?
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Possibilities of improvement
How it could have been better?
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Behind the scenes
Thoughts about the reviews of others
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Immanence, movie (2022)
image © Bluefields Entertainment
Uses for the film - Immanence, movie (2022)
Plot
- Set on contemporary fantasy Earth.
- A meteorite falls, and scientists are sent to inspect it.
- A meteor enters the atmosphere, and they receive radio signals from it.
- They find a derelict ship.
- The Devil tries to trap people in the Bermuda Triangle.
- Strange (supernatural) things happen, that the people can't explain scientifically.
- Set on a closed space (a boat).
- The people (crewmembers) die one by one.
Scenes
- The sea-faring scenes of the Immanence film can be used to depict a ship going on the sea.
- The tech work on the ship can be used to show scientists working on a ship to receive signals.
- When they encounter the empty ship, that could be used to depict people finding an empty ship.
Designs
Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas
Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas
Limited space: There's a catastrophe coming, and there's a limited space to survive that. Before the game begins, designate a safe space. The fighting sides have to achieve their objective in a limited time. When the time runs out, every unit outside of the safe space is destroyed, and the game ends. The game is more interesting if it's an allied solo game against the system. For example, every player controls a human, who are fighting against zombies or aliens. Yet, there's not enough place for all of them in the safe space.
Recurring event: The event happens at the end of every N turn. When it happens, every unit outside of the safe space, will receive a hit, but the game doesn't end. There can still be a final event after X events, that ends the game.
Kill the monster: The scenario takes place in a limited space (closed house, ship, small island). The defending player sets up the playing area, and deploys their units. The defending units only have small melee weapons, and no armour. Then the attacking player places a single model anywhere on the playing area, one movement away from any defending units, or as far away as possible, if there's not enough space to do that. The model crawled in, or suddenly revealed itself from its hiding place. The attacking model has better fighting skills, and higher toughness. It is able to force open any of the closed doors with 1 action. For reinforced doors, roll a d6, it opens on 1-3. If the defenders push the attacking model outside of their base, it can enter again in any of the edges of the base. The defenders win if they kill the attacker. The attacker wins if at least half of the defenders are killed.
Local features (easier for the defender): The players can come up with some features on their base that allows them to fight more effectively against the attacker. For example they could have an engine that could spray hot steam at a specific location. Or they could have more effective weapons in a locker - but for that, they need to find the key that was lost previously. They could have a cage they can lure the attacker into, to get some time before the attacker gets out of the cage.
Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)
Civilians: Human-sized (S3) modern (advanced) human female / male civilian.
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Similar stories - Immanence, movie (2022)
Short stories like Immanence
Richard Matheson: Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (1961): Set in a closed space (airplane), a man is afraid of flying, and sees supernatural things.
Novels like Immanence
Michael Crichton: Sphere (1987): In a contemporary setting, set in a closed space (submarine), fears of the people are manifested, as they die one by one. Sphere is a better story than the Immanence film.
Movies like Immanence
Altitude (2010): In a contemporary setting, set in a closed space (airplane), the fears of a kid are manifested, as they die one by one.
Below (2002): In a World War 2 setting, set in a closed space (submarine), the crew is afraid there is something supernatural at work. Below is a better movie.
New Mutants (2020): In a contemporary setting, set in a closed space (school with a force field), the fears of a kid are manifested, as they die one by one.
Satan's Triangle (1975): In a (then) contemporary setting, mostly set in a closed space (ship), they find a derelict ship in the Bermuda Triangle, with dead bodies, and a survivor. The people on that ship died one by one in mysterious circumstances. It turns out the devil killed them.
Sphere (1998): In a contemporary setting, set in a closed space (submarine), fears of the people are manifested, as they die one by one. Based on the Sphere novel from Michael Crichton.
The Dark Side of the Moon (1990): In a futuristic setting, set in a closed space (spaceship), the crew experiences strange malfunctions. They find a derelict spaceship with a dead body, that was lost in the Bermuda Triangle. Then the devil appears, and crewmembers die one by one.
Triangle (2009): In a contemporary setting, mostly set in a closed space (ship), a group of people find it that the same things keep happening to them in a time loop. Triangle is a better movie.
TV series & episodes like Immanence
Twilight Zone: Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (1963, 1983): Set in a closed space (airplane), a man is afraid of flying, and sees supernatural things. Based on the Nightmare at 20,000 Feet short story.
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Frequently asked questions - Immanence, movie (2022)
Is the Immanence film based on a book or comics?
No, Immanence is not based on either books or comics.
Is the Immanence film a remake or reboot?
No, the Immanence film is neither a remake nor a reboot.
Is there a post credit scene in Immanence? Does Immanence have end credit scenes?
No, there's no post credit scene in Immanence.
Is Immanence a horror movie?
That depends on your definition of horror. I consider Immanence (2022) a fantasy thriller.
Is Immanence a religious movie?
Immanence (2022) includes some religious themes. Based on your views, you may watch Immanence as a religious movie.
What is the movie Eminence 2022? / What is the Immanance movie? / What is the Immance movie? / What is the Immanece movie? / What is the Immanent movie? / What is the Immenance movie? / What is the Immence movie? / What is the Immenence movie? / What is the Imminance movie? / What is the Imminence movie?
I'm almost sure that the Eminence movie / Immanance movie / Immance movie / Immanece movie / Immanent movie / Immenance movie / Immence movie / Immenence movie / Imminance movie / Imminence movie are misspellings of the Immanence movie.
What are the movies from 2022 about the Bermuda Triangle?
Immanence is one of the movies from 2022 about the Bermuda Triangle. Another one is Mystery - Bermuda Triangle. There's also a TV series, called The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters, that started in 2022.
Where can I see Immanence? What is Immanence playing on? What streaming service is Immanence on? Where can I watch Immanence online? Is Immanence available on Netflix? Is Immanence on Amazon?
As of 2022.10.26, Immanence is available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fubo, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube.
A 13+ cut is available on Amazon Prime Video.
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Resources - Immanence, movie (2022)
Official
https://www.facebook.com/Bluefields-Entertainment-95791884483/
https://twitter.com/kerrybellessa
https://twitter.com/bluefieldscreat
https://twitter.com/ImmanenceF
https://www.instagram.com/immanencethefilm/
Information
IMDB: Immanence (2022): Database article.
Letterboxd: Immanence 2022: Database article.
Rotten Tomatoes: Immanence 2022: Database article.
Creation
: Concept art article.¤
Reviews with no spoilers - Immanence film (2022)
Mark de Graaf (for Mark's Remarks): Immanence: Review article about the Immanence film with no spoilers.
Mark Cole (for Rivets on the Poster): Immanence (2022): Review article about the Immanence film with very minor spoilers. Offers some insight about the religious aspects of the film.§
Reviews with spoilers - Immanence film (2022)
Dblock (for Drop The Spotlight): Immanence Film Review: Review article of the Immanence movie, with spoilers.
Fabio Pazzaglia (for Film TV): Immanence review (in Italian): Review article of the Immanence film, with spoilers, in Italian.
English version by Google Translate
Jim Morazzini (for Voices From The Balcony): Immanence (2022) Review: Review article of the Immanence movie, with spoilers.
Adrian J Smith (for MOVIES and MANIA): IMMANENCE (2022) Reviews of Bermuda Triangle religious horror mystery movie: Review article of the Immanence movie, with spoilers.
https://lotofsense.com/films/meaning-of-the-movie-immanence-2020-and-ending-explained/
https://otakukart.com/immanence-movie-ending-explained-was-jonah-satanic-in-immanence/
Analysis - Immanence movie (2022)
: Analysis video, explaining the finale of Immanence.¤
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Buying the product - Immanence, movie (2022)
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Have you seen the Immanence film? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!
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