THE FIX is a new sci-fi action movie from South Africa. Set in a dystopian near-future where air pollution has gone wild and big pharma is working on a drug – for the right people. Read our full The Fix movie review here!
THE FIX is a new South African movie that everyone would do well to check out. Both because it has impressive special effects and a plot that feels very relevant. This is a sci-fi action genre hybrid and set in a dystopian future where air is toxic.
It has a runtime of around an hour and a half, and I could easily see the story continue in some form. Not that it needs to, but the world-building is so efficient that you want to know more. Filmmaker Kelsey Egan delivers yet again!
Continue reading our The Fix movie review below. The movie is currently playing at film festivals worldwide.
What to do when the air is toxic?
In The Fix, we follow the young model (Grace van Dien from Stranger Things) who is doing commercials for big pharma by day and taking drugs at night. She tries a new designer drug at a party, which results in a wild and shocking transformation.
We’re not talking The Fly but it’s in the same vicinity. It turns out the drug was a test meant to change a person so they can once again breathe the air. In this dystopian future, air has become toxic, so you need to wear a mask or take a pill.
Oh yes, Big Pharma has created a pill that lasts for hours but isn’t a cure. This change in a person’s DNA could be an actual cure. Needless to say, the drug company wants it and is chasing the young woman as she struggles with her body changing.
The cast also includes Daniel Sharman (Fear The Walking Dead), Clancy Brown (Gen V, Dexter: New Blood), and South African actress Nicole Fortuin (Heart of the Hunter on Netflix).
The Fix was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, which makes for the perfect setting for this story.
The few things that do not work
Overall, The Fix offers a story that is both intriguing and relevant in eerie ways. Air and water pollution are already part of life today, so the idea that it will get worse in the future isn’t exactly far-fetched.
While the story worked, this movie also has a few elements that do not work. One is the casting with some of the actors delivering lines in ways that completely kill them. No energy and no heart behind the words make them fall flat to the ground.
Fortunately, we also get strong performance. However, that just makes the lacking portrayals stand out even more in contrast.
Still, the worst things by far were the quick cuts and the soundtrack. The quick editing and – at times – quite heavy-handed cuts between scenes disrupted more than set the stage. And the volume of the soundtrack was completely out of wack.
The Fix world premiere at Chattanooga Film Fest
We reviewed Kelsey Egan’s debut feature Glasshouse when it screened at Fantasia 2021. That movie was also set in a dystopian future, but instead of air pollution, it revolves around an airborne disease that causes dementia. Scary stuff indeed!
Her debut was the most-awarded film of the year at the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs), which is definitely deserved. It has been streaming on the African streamer Showmax, Apple TV, Prime Video, and Tubi.
The Fix is her second movie and I would absolutely recommend watching this genre hybrid because the story is fascinating and the effects are good. Shockingly good for the most part. If only the audio had been as strong and solid.
You could not hear the dialogue (which is already obscured by masks in some cases) and the song choice was sometimes just wrong. It didn’t set the tone or follow the mood, it completely took over. The music wasn’t bad. Just wrong.
This results in 2½ stars if we gave half stars – but we do not.
The Fix got its world premiere on June 23, 2024, at Chattanooga Film Fest in Tennessee. Also, The Fix will debut on African streamer Showmax on October 31, 2024, as its Halloween highlight.
Details
Director: Kelsey Egan
Writer: Kelsey Egan
Stars: Grace Van Dien, Terri Lane, Clancy Brown, Daniel Sharman, Aidan Scott, Chris Fisher, Nicole Fortuin, Keenan Arrison, Tafara Nyatsanza, Caleb Payne, Tina Redman, Robyn Rossouw
Plot
The Fix follows a model (Grace van Dien) who takes a new designer drug at a party and suffers a shocking transformation. Pursued by forces with competing interests in the drug’s effects, she discovers that her mutations could save the human race.
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