ARQ (2016)

August 4, 2023 11:04 AM

[TRAILER] The oil supply has run dry, and corporations fight against nations for the world's remaining energy supplies. Trapped in a house and surrounded by a gang of mysterious masked intruders, an engineer (Robbie Amell) must protect a technology that could deliver unlimited energy and end the wars that have consumed the world. The only problem is that the technology has created a time loop that condemns him and his friends to relive the same day over and over.

Also starring Rachael Taylor, Gray Powell.

Written and directed by Tony Elliott.

43% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Currently streaming in the US on Netflix. JustWatch.

This series, about time loop movies, is one I sponsored myself. I'll be using the tag #DejaVuDay It will be a double-sized batch.

Donate $25 or more to MeFi and you can MeMail me a request for a themed day of your own. I'll fill up the sidebar on FF with six movies that fit your theme.

posted by DirtyOldTown (6 comments total)

This is the kind of competent, middle-brow, definitely okay but hardly great stuff that nearly always seems to star one of the Amell brothers.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:05 AM on August 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

My SO loves time loop movies and so I've seen this. It was not great, but it was okay. I have forgotten so much of it now but I remember at the time being like, "Hey anyone seen ARQ?" and feeling like... no, no one has seen this.

I want to say it's not even the best wake-up-to-killers-comin-at-ya time loop movie I've seen but my SO is informing me that Boss Level was worse and so I don't think I have a very strong case.
posted by fleacircus at 11:31 AM on August 4, 2023

It really feels like if you have:

1) a high concept sci-fi action concept that is sort of cool but sort of a ripoff/amalgamation of other things
2) a budget safely above normal DTV standards but far below theatrical levels
3) a competent but not world-beating crew of TV vets
4) a plan to shoot in Canada

...then your next call is to an Amell brother.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:34 AM on August 4, 2023 [2 favorites]

Thirding the milquetoast review of "It's fine, I guess." I enjoyed it enough, though I think I enjoyed thinking about it more than actually watching it.

Boss Level is.... differently boring? It pulls all its punches, wastes Michelle Yeoh and Noami Watts, and winds up being more schmaltzy than anything.
posted by mrphancy at 12:22 PM on August 4, 2023

Robbie and Stephen are cousins fwiw.

I agree, competent but unremarkable genre fare. There's a place for that. One could do worse
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 5:16 AM on August 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

I don't have a strong memory of this one, but I do remember it being enjoyable. Not all of my experiences a while back trolling through the lesser known to completely obscure time travel films met that bar. Compared to some of the less well executed ones, I'd even call ARQ pretty good.
posted by wierdo at 10:20 PM on August 5, 2023