A man begins to question his reality after witnessing the apparent murder of his girlfriend in Levels. Joe (Peter Mooney) is a seemingly average man, who has recently begun dating Ash (Cara Gee). On a date, Ash is about to reveal a big secret about herself to Joe, when she is suddenly gunned down at point blank by Anthony Hunter (Aaron Abrams). Joe is distraught at this loss and not even his friend Oliver (David Hewlett) can comfort him. However, when Joe suddenly receives a message from Ash, it results in him questioning the state of his reality.
Levels Synopsis
Levels is a sci-fi thriller and the feature directorial debut for visual effects artist turned filmmaker Adam Stern. The film stars Cara Gee (Red Rover, The Expanse) and Peter Mooney (The Prodigy) as the new couple Ash and Joe. In the aftermath of Ash’s apparent murder, Joe comes to realize that he is part of an A.I.-generated universe created by Anthony Hunter, played by Aaron Abrams (The Go-Getters, Nose to Tail). However, Hunter soon plans on resetting the universe and Joe has to help save it, with the help of a still-alive Ash and Hunter’s former partner Oliver Box, played by David Hewlett (Splice, The Shape of Water).
My Thoughts on Levels
For his feature film debut, Adam Stern presents Levels as an effects-heavy sci-fi thriller that comes across as a mix of Free Guy and The Matrix, while generally having a plot based on Simulation Theory. In fact, it can be constituted a major spoiler to explain what exactly the title of Levels is referring to. However, the film does dig into the age-old debate about whether A.I. creations can be considered sentient beings or merely just programming.
At the core of the story of Levels is the love story between the protagonists of Ash and Joe. Despite the latter being an A.I. being, Ash has developed real feelings for Joe and is willing to do anything to save him. However, Anthony Hunter has little concern about the population of the world he has created, which he only sees as a means to test out potential world-ending scenarios.
While Levels does have some solid visual effects, the film arguably comes off more like a TV pilot rather than something truly cinematic. It probably doesn’t help that many of the cast members of Levels, such as Cara Gee and David Hewlett, are arguably more known for their roles in sci-fi TV series, such as The Expanse and Stargate: Atlantis, rather than their film work. However, Levels is still a solid debut for Adam Stern and is worth at least a watch.