Freejack [14]

This interesting little Sci Fi/Fantasy fling gives us a look into what life might be like for rich people if time travel and mechanical transference of souls were possible. The story was adapted from a 1959 novel titled "Immortality, Inc." by Robert Sheckley.

Emilio Estevez stars as Alex Furlong, a racecar driver who supposedly dies in a spectacular fiery crash on the track. However, he is actually rescued by Victor Vacendek (played by Rolling Stone Mick Jagger!) Vacendek is known as a “bonejacker” and uses his time portal machine to pluck otherwise unidentifiable people just about to die from the past. These people are known as “Freejacks” and are outcasts in society. Freejacks are considered already dead, so they have no rights. The purpose of a Freejack body is to house the soul of a rich person whose body is dying. The rich person in this case is Ian McCandless, played by Anthony Hopkins. To complicate things, Alex's former fiancée Julie, played by Rene Russo, is now an executive at McCandless’ corporation.

One think that will strike you about the movie is that Victor’s roving bonejacking laboratory looks much like Caterpillar earth moving machinery from the 1980’s. Also, all of the future cars look like bubbles. White flight has taken hold in a big way, so Furlong’s neighborhood is now a war zone.

The movie ends with a “Who is the real McCandless?” similar to the “Who is the Real Captain Kirk?” in Whom Gods Destroy.

Nice premise, but Mick's lips, the Caterpillar trucks, and weird future cars ruin it all. See it once. This will be remade properly someday with the title “Immortality, Inc.”. {BB}

Added: August 15th 2005
Reviewer: BB
29 Point Scale Score:    [14]

Related Link (IMDB): IMDB
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Language: english