Restore Point – Fantasia Review (3/5)

RESTORE POINT is a new sci-fi thriller from the Czech Republic screening at Fantasia 2023. A fascinating story with many universal messages and a style reminiscent of both Blade Runner and Minority Report. Read our full Restore Point movie review here!

RESTORE POINT is a new Czech sci-fi thriller currently screening at Fantasia 2023. The fact that it’s from the Czech Republic (and made in collaboration with Slovakia, Poland, and Serbia) means very little in terms of the story as it’s very universal.

The deeply fascinating plot deals with life, death, choice, and power.

Also, the production value is gorgeous and the style could’ve come from any of the more conventional movies released globally. Basically, this one is worth your time in terms of both content and quality.

Continue reading our Restore Point movie review below. Screened for Fantasia 2023 coverage.

Blade Runner meets Minority Report and still feels unique

Restore Point plays out in Prague (in the Czech Republic) in 2041. The world has moved into a new era as life doesn’t necessarily end at death. Human existence is forever changed as death has effectively been eliminated as you can be resurrected via a digital backup.

All of this came about after the world was on the verge of disaster in 2038 due to social and economic inequality, which resulted in violent crime and constant fear.

A breakthrough in science means anyone who died of a violent crime can be brought back to life. You just need to back up your brain every two days. And, as a result of this, solving their murder is easier as the victims are brought back and can help solve the crime committed against them.

People are signing in and uploading their memories to a corporate cloud. However, something appears to be very shady, when suddenly a key figure in this world of restoring lives, is murdered and doesn’t have a backup.

Life vs death

In an off-beat sort of way, parts of Restore Point reminded me of a few vampire stories. Talk of “real death” or “definitive dying” just isn’t something we usually talk about when dealing with human beings.

We live, we die, and that’s the natural order.

Except in Restore Point, it isn’t. We’ve found a way to beat it and not everyone is on board with this disruption of nature. It becomes a choice of life vs death as people can choose whether to create a “backup” of themselves or not.

If they do, and they suffer an unnatural death (as in a crime or tragic accident), then they can be brought back from their backup. If not, then it’s game over.

An extremist group called “The River of Life” seems to be performing terrorist acts resulting in people being kept from backing up their restore points. This means they are really dying. But could it be that something bigger is going on? A conspiracy being what anyone could imagine?!

Yes… and that’s what makes this movie such a solid and complete experience for genre fans!

Restore Point screening at Fantasia 2023

Robert Hloz is the director of Restore Point which is based on a screenplay by Tomislav Cecka and
Zdenek Jecelin. It’s the first sci-fi movie to come out of the Czech Republic in 40 years. A sci-fi noir that should immediately remind genre fans of the worlds featured in Blade Runner and Minority Report.

Complete with a Prague full of monolithic skyscrapers. The design of this megacity alone is breathtaking.

Restore Point is a bold mix of some amazing sci-fi elements that all go back to the same issue; Just because we can, it doesn’t mean we should. And if we do, can our inner moral compass still survive?

Restore Point is getting its North American premiere at Fantasia 2023.

Details

Director: Robert Hloz
Writers: Tomislav Cecka, Zdenek Jecelin
Cast: Matej Hádek, Andrea Mohylová, Milan Ondrík