KIN: Promising Sci-Fi Thriller Self-Destructs

The marketing for Kin teases a film “from the producers of Stranger Things,” which I think is kind of hilarious. Is that where we’re at now? Theatrical trailers advertising connections to popular Netflix shows? This isn’t so much a diss against Stranger Things (I truly do love our adventures in Hawkins) as it is a commentary on mainstream sci-fi films desperately searching for relevance.

In the case of this film, I guess the connection is a bit more overt. Emphasis on “a bit.” For example, there is indeed a kid on a bike. Jonathan and Josh Baker, the film’s directors, are brothers, just like the creators of Stranger Things. And…..weird sci-fi things happen?

All joking aside, Kin is a deeply strange project, partially because of how morally questionable it gets. It’s one of those films where it’s difficult to root for any of the major players, since they’re mostly just crooks and thieves, all of whom recognize their flaws without changing their behavior. The Bakers‘ debut film is also a meandering road saga, filled with detours and dull patches and an ending that is both truly bizarre and unintentionally funny. At its worst, Kin is just grueling.

The Kid, The Ex-Con & The Ray Gun

The film follows Eli Solinski (Myles Truitt), a fairly average kid suffering from a serious case of grief after the death of his mother. As a result, Eli has been getting into fights at school, much to the disdain of Hal (Dennis Quaid), his gruff and caring adopted father. Fearing that Eli could go down the same path as Jimmy (Jack Reynor), his incarcerated older brother, Hal often has to be a strict disciplinarian, even if that doesn’t stop Eli from scrounging for scrap metal in abandoned buildings on the streets of Detroit.

That may seem like an unimportant plot point, but it ends up being rather crucial. During one of his routine searches, Eli finds a powerful ray gun, which appears to be the property of some alien species. For whatever reason, Eli decides to keep the weapon.

Our story really kicks into gear when Jimmy returns home from prison, immediately coming into conflict with his disappointed father. Things go from bad to worse when Jimmy is threatened by Taylor (James Franco), a powerful underworld figure who kept the convicted felon safe behind bars. Jimmy needs $60K fast, or else his entire family will be in jeopardy. Hal refuses to help, which leaves his son no choice but to steal the money.

After something particularly terrible happens (no spoilers here), Eli and Jimmy hit the road with the ray gun in tow, traveling to Lake Tahoe to escape Taylor’s wrath. Well, the younger Solinski doesn’t know that. He just thinks they’re bonding together on a brotherly vacation. Turns out there’s a lot that Eli doesn’t know. As the danger heats up, Jimmy and Eli end up making a number of enemies, including two shady figures in search of the mysterious weapon. Secrets will be revealed, and the past will come back to haunt everyone.

Intriguing Premise Gives Way To Troubling Characters

Kin starts with a series of interesting questions. Who really is Eli, beneath the shadows of grief and buried trauma? Why did Jimmy end up in prison? What’s the story behind this ray gun, and why do these shadowy terminators need it back? Coupled with the Baker Brothers‘ solid directorial chops, this initial set of questions provides enough intrigue for any viewer to give the film the benefit of the doubt.

But Kin never really goes anywhere, nor does it provide even moderately satisfying answers to its enigmatic mysteries. There’s so much left to be desired at the end of this film that you can’t help but wonder why some of these plot threads were established in the first place. Sure, I would argue that Kin seems to understand its inherent flaws as a story, shifting all of the attention to our “heroes” in lieu of a stronger narrative. Unfortunately, with such an unlikable and thin group of characters, the film is left in something of a lose-lose situation.

The trouble starts with Jack Reynor‘s ex-con. I became a huge fan of the actor after Sing Street, where he played a patient, loving older brother who passed on his lessons of survival to his sibling. In Kin, the Bakers and screenwriter Daniel Casey give Reynor the monumental task of making Jimmy a sympathetic human being. Considering that this is a character who routinely lies to his brother, puts him in dangerous situations, and seemingly acts in his own self-interest at all times, it’s virtually impossible to make this relationship the heart of the movie. It’s an unbelievable misstep, one that can’t be recovered from.

Finale Dives Into Nonsense

The film has no shortage of stars, but its performances severely lack likability and depth. Dennis Quaid and Carrie Coon are practically relegated to cameo roles, while James Franco does his best gangster impression in what’s really a strange turn even by his standards. Then there’s Zoë Kravitz, a talented actress stuck in a role that feels nothing shy of superfluous, in what amounts to an unnecessary detour to a strip club.

At the center of it all is Myles Truitt, a clearly talented young actor hampered by a non-existent character. I’d like to imagine how he was instructed to play Eli on the set, beyond basic emotional descriptions of “sad” and “angry.” Eli is as flat as protagonists come, and it’s even more precarious when you realize that he’s basically an accessory to a number of crimes.

With all of these other issues, it’s easy to forget the giant ray gun. Trust me, it’s an afterthought in the actual movie as well. After twiddling their thumbs for 90 minutes, the Bakers are forced to come up with some kind of explanation for, y’know, the giant space weapon that Eli has been carrying around in his book bag the whole time. Their ultimate explanation is altogether baffling, both in its sudden intrusion into the narrative and its utter incoherence.

To be fair, this concluding sequence does boast the most unexpected A-list celebrity cameo (I’m not sure he was such a major star when they shot this) since Matt Damon in Interstellar. Nonetheless, the finale is such a staggering display of total storytelling self-destruction that it’s hard not to burst out laughing. It provides no clarity to anything else we’ve seen or heard, neither enhancing the emotional stakes nor the actual logic of the endeavor. It’s the kind of ending that leaves you thinking “THAT was the best they could come up with?” It’s supposed to be some kind of major revelation, but it falls totally flat.

Kin: Conclusion

Until it reaches that bewildering ending, Kin is mostly just a snooze fest. It drags along, finding the energy to come to life only intermittently. There’s a good deal of action, including a police station siege in the third act that closely resembles the iconic set-piece in The Terminator. But when you’re ambivalent to the fate of the characters or outright rooting for their demise, no amount of well-choreographed carnage will salvage your film. The Bakers shoot themselves in the foot with a few decisions in the early goings, only making things worse with each odd subplot and nonsensical development.

By the time it all comes together, whatever the Bakers were initially aiming for has imploded completely. What’s left is a sci-fi story that makes no sense, a group of borderline irredeemable characters who are both flat and frequently despicable, and a pace that feels listless at best.

Not exactly a recipe for success.

What did you think of Kin? Are you a fan of the film’s impressive ensemble? Let us know in the comments below?

Kin was released on August 31 in U.S. theaters. For full international release information, click here.