Paradise

This German techno-sci-fi film feels like it could be a twin to this year's Czech Restore Point in both atmosphere and quality. Set in a contemporary world that has figured out how to manipulate time, it offers a fresh take on a compelling theme. Netflix has been pleasantly surprising me with its recent releases. (10/23/2023)

All in all, I'm surprised at how good for Netflix this film is. Netflix’s output has sucked lately, but here I was tempted by the premise, and in the end Paradise isn't entirely discardable. It earns plus points for its rather interesting and original concept, where people are able to sell their years for money, which ultimately benefits the very rich who are able to buy years from the poor and live forever. However, a top corporate employee whose wife is forced to give up her 40 years due to a default on her bank mortgage suddenly becomes the company's arch enemy and wants to give back his wife's years at any cost. The idea is the main element that deserves my applause, but the rest, while average, isn't as highly commendable. It has a fine pace and story development in places, but it more or less doesn't break out of the classic template and doesn't bring anything new to the table that would vault it over the golden mean. And the same goes for the (unnecessarily) open ending. A watchable movie, but the idea, well, it could have been so much more and it's a great one for a Hollywood feature film. (08/02/2023)

A clever debut with a great premise and one of the better films from Netflix. Paradise is probably thematically close to In Time, we have a biotech company that can manipulate time, i.e. take and give people ages. The premise is original and it's a bit of a shame that the film doesn't focus on more characters and more issues, because the potential was high. They only focus on two characters who are quite fatally affected. The lead is the likeable Kostja Ullmann, whom we know from My Blind Date with Life, but the rest of the characters didn't interest me. It's a pity that from the second half onwards the film loses pace and the final action is very routine and uninteresting. The music is okay and the visuals are decent too, just the plot filler is not as intense and engaging as the idea itself – I wouldn't against an American remake. I was quite bothered that the organization Adam, which fights against the system in the film, doesn't really show anything decent in the end – there was much more potential there. (08/06/2023)

This is a real success for German Netflix. The film stands out with its conceptual originality and surprisingly good quality of execution. The script brings an innovative idea that, in the context of contemporary commercial society where many strive for quick and easy wealth, feels quite realistic and relevant. Given the current boom in artificial intelligence and the expansion of technical fields, the film raises important questions about possible scenarios for the development of human future. (06/02/2024)