Menu
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Podcast
      • Slice of SciFi 1022: Shakespeare, Star Wars and moreIan Doescher on Shakespeare and Science Fiction
      • Slice of SciFi 1021: The PassengerInternational Indie Horror: “The Passenger”
      • Slice of SciFi 1020: "Zero Contact" director Rick Dugdale“Zero Contact” Director Rick Dugdale
      • Slice of SciF 1019: Shark Bait“Shark Bait”: James Nunn on setting up the shark
    • View all
  • Movie Reviews
      • Review: The Black Phone (2022)“The Black Phone” is a creepy, retro thriller
      • Review: "Jurassic World: Dominion" (2022)“Jurassic World Dominion”: a people-pleasing spectacle
      • Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story (2022)“Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story”: A loving tribute to New Orleans
      • Emergency (2022)“Emergency” shines a light on race, stress and decision-making
    • View all
  • TV Reviews
      • "Project Blue Book"“Project Blue Book” explores the threads of UFO reports
      • Manifest Season 1: 5 Episodes In5 Episodes In: “Manifest”
      • 5 Episodes In: Reverie5 Episodes In: “Reverie”
      • 5 Episodes In: Marvel's Cloak and Dagger5 Episodes In: “Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger”
    • View all
  • DVD Reviews
      • Discussion: The Spine Of Night (2021)Indie Talk: Another Look at “The Spine of Night”
      • Review: Creepshow S2 Blu-rayBlu-ray Review: “Creepshow Season 2”
      • Batman: The Long Halloween (2021)“Batman: The Long Halloween”: an effective if over-long story
      • Blu-ray: Seance (2021)Blu-ray review: “Seance”
    • View all
  • Columns
  • News
      • TV News
      • Film News
      • DVD News
      • Interviews
      • Events
      • Geeky, Funny & Weird
      • Online Entertainment News
      • Music News
      • On Stage
      • Space News

Slice of SciFi

This is How We Geek Out: Interviews, Reviews & More

  • Writers, After Dark
  • The Babylon Podcast
  • Slice of SciFi TV
  • Horror Happenings
  • SciFi Shop Talk
  • Contact Us
“KIN” combines family drama and scifi intrigue

“KIN” combines family drama and scifi intrigue

August 31, 2018 By Louis Howley Leave a Comment

What would you do if found an alien ray-gun? This is the dilemma faced in “Kin,” a tale that examines the meaning of family against a background of gangsters and science fiction.

Based on the short film “Bag Man,” released in 2014, “Kin” expands the premise of a young boy stumbling upon an alien weapon. The movie begins with an explosion occurring in an abandoned factory. Later 14-year-old Eli Solinsky comes to the location and finds what appear to be dead alien humanoids in spacesuits. He freaks out and runs.

Eli has been suspended from school for fighting which displeases his father Hal (Dennis Quaid), who always seems to be spouting hard-knock wisdom to his son. Given chores to do while he is not at school, Eli goes back to the factory and discovers an alien ray-gun that he seems able to operate.

Jimmy, Eli’s older brother, is being released after six years in prison and is coming to stay with them. This reunion does not go well. Hal is not willing to give a recommendation for his son at the construction site where he works.

However, Jimmy owes $60000 to a local gangster, Taylor Balik (James Franco), for the protection Jimmy received in prison. When Taylor threatens his family, Jimmy goes to Hal and begs for a loan. Hal doesn’t have the money and so Jimmy wants him to rob the safe at work. Hal refuses, and kicks out Jimmy.

Hal and Eli go to the construction site, where the lock on the fence has been cut. Hal grabs a crowbar and enters the construction shack. He catches Taylor’s gang and Jimmy robbing the safe. Taylor kills Hal, and Jimmy kills Dutch, Taylor’s brother, setting up a revenge motif.

Jimmy runs with the money to the truck with Eli in it. He makes up a story that Hal told him to take Eli home. Jimmy then lies and says that Hal told him to take Eli on a road trip to Tahoe to a cottage that their dead mom loved. The two leave Hal’s house just as the gang arrives.

KIN (2018)

Meanwhile, two more humanoid aliens in spacesuits arrive at the abandoned factory looking for the ray-gun. They are able to trace that it is on the road, steal motorcycles and head out west in pursuit of Jimmy and Eli. Likewise, through a message Eli left on Hal’s phone, now in Taylor’s possession, the gang also is in pursuit of the two fugitives.

Jimmy, who always seems to be making bad choices, decides that he and Eli should go into a girls’ club. The performers are scantily dressed, but not nude. Jimmy is attracted to Milly (Zoe Kravitz), one of the dancers, and soon she and her friends are drinking at their table. When Jimmy tries to dance on stage with Milly, the club enforcers beat him up. Eli retrieves the alien weapon and wreaks havoc on a pool table. Milly escapes with them. Everything comes to a head at a Nevada casino, where the news flashes an APB for Jimmy and Eli, who are both detained for Hal and Dutch’s murders.

Family, and what it means to be “kin,” is a central theme of the film. While Jimmy and Eli are brothers, the fact that Eli was adopted as an infant looms large in making him feel second-best. Similarly, Jimmy tells Eli that he is a “replacement” son. Hal has given up on Jimmy but tries to be a good father to Eli.

KIN (2018)

The road trip gives Jimmy and Eli a chance to get to know each other. They start to bond into a sense of brotherhood. This is threatened because Jimmy has not told Eli that Hal is dead. When this truth comes out, another rupture in their relationship occurs.
Milly is a good influence on Eli once she joins the team. They talk about their scars caused by abuse, although Eli cannot remember his hand being marked because he was too young.

The theme of family extends as well to the Balik brothers, Taylor and Dutch. At the funeral wake for Dutch, where he is on a bier next to a fire, Taylor gives an oration that extols his brother’s protective nature. The whole pursuit of Jimmy is more than the money he owes; it is a blood feud.

The ending of the film creates another sense of kinship, which I will not reveal. This brings the matter full circle.

I was a little disappointed that there were not more science fiction elements in the film. The short tended to focus on the weapon so immediately that I expected this to be a central core to the movie. When the second group of aliens appear, we see some of their GPS tech but not enough to be satisfying.

The ray-gun itself benefits from better visual effects than the short. However, it is rarely used until the end of the film when it becomes a major player.

The ending itself is so good that you wish that somehow the earlier parts of the film could have been infused with that essence. Much that was obscure about the weapon becomes clear. A sequel is definitely a possibility.

Zoe Kravitz gives the best performance in the film as Milly. She is street smart, but sensitive and caring in a totally believable way. Dennis Quaid seems to be playing to a type more than acting. James Franco does some major scenery-chewing, but doesn’t have much to work with as an excuse.

Myles Truitt plays quiet and introverted very well. His interactions with others could use some work. Jack Reynor as Jimmy has his moments when he allows himself to open up emotionally. But most of the time the character is playing a macho façade, which doesn’t allow for much stretching of the acting muscles.

Despite the fact that the road trip is overlong, I found myself wondering what would happen next. The potential for a science-fiction moment also propelled my interest. I truly cared about these characters.

My mind says that this film should get 3 out of 5 stars, but my heart says 3 and a half out of 5 stars. Three and a half out of 5 stars.

For more about KIN, don’t miss our interview with directors Jonathan and Josh Baker!


While scavenging for copper wire, Detroit teenager Eli Solinski stumbles upon a high-tech gun that holds special powers. When his brother, Jimmy, lands in trouble with a local crime boss, the two siblings take the mysterious weapon and go on the run. Eli and Jimmy now find themselves in a life-and-death battle against an army of thugs and two heavily armored, futuristic soldiers who want their gun back.

Starring: Myles Truitt, Jack Reynor, Zoë Kravitz, Carrie Coon, Dennis Quaid, James Franco
Directed by: Josh Baker, Jonathan Baker
Screenplay by: Daniel Casey

KIN
3.5

Summary

What would you do if found an alien ray-gun? This is the dilemma faced in “Kin,” a tale that examines the meaning of family against a background of gangsters and science fiction. Based on the short film “Bag Man,” released in 2014, “Kin” expands the premise of a young boy stumbling upon an alien weapon.

Despite the fact that the road trip is overlong, I found myself wondering what would happen next. The potential for a science-fiction moment also propelled my interest. I truly cared about these characters.

Sending
User Review
0 (0 votes)
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on Email

Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: Indie Films

Louis Howley

About Louis Howley

Louis Howley is a long-time resident of Arizona. He is a retired public librarian who enjoys watching all types of feature films and documentaries. His favorite genre is horror. Among his favorite films are “The Night of the Hunter” (1955), “Psycho” (1960), and “La Belle et le Bete” (1946).

Related Posts

Slice of SciFi 895: Head Count, Clinton Road
Indie Horror Spotlight: “Head Count” and “Clinton Road”
Reviewing “Alien Rising”
Debug movie
Reviewing “Debug”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Filter by Categories
Audio Productions
Awards News
Book News
Book Reviews
Columns
Comics News
DVD News
DVD Reviews
Entertainment Business News
Events
Fan Films
Fan Productions
Film News
Film Reviews
Gaming News
Geeky, Funny & Weird
Human Interest
Interviews
Music News
On Stage
Online Entertainment News
Science News
Slice of SciFi
Slice Video News
Space News
Specials
Technology News
TV News
TV Reviews

Subscribe to Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsiHeartRadioStitcherPodchaserTuneInRSS

Listen to Slice of SciFi

iTunes
iHeart Radio
Player.FM
RSS
 
  • Movie & TV Reviews

Recent Comments

  • Summer Brooks on “Astrid & Lilly Save the World” Season 1 Breakdown: “I’m waiting on renewal news on this one, too. So much fun, and for next season I would love to…”
  • Neil A Ottenstein on “Astrid & Lilly Save the World” Season 1 Breakdown: “Finally got a chance to watch the last two episode tonight and then listened to this. Great to hear the…”
  • Chris Howley on “The Northman” brings a Viking legend to life: “Your review makes me want to see this movie, which I had previously decided to skip over. Of course, I’ll…”
  • Armando Ruiz on Aquaman vs Namor: “Namor can destroy DC’s fish man”
  • Louis C Howley on “Everything Everywhere All At Once” is delightfully subversive: “Thank you for that compliment. I agree that it is a very difficult film to summarize. I very much appreciate…”
Tweets by Slice of SciFi
death to humans 160x600
Save 10-50% on in-stock toys at TFAW.com.

Slice of SciFi
1121 Annapolis Rd PMB 238
Odenton MD 21113
602-635-6976

Artwork:
Slice of SciFi spiral logo designed by Tim Callender

Theme Music:
Slice of SciFi music and themes
courtesy of Sci-Fried

Sister Sites:
Writers, After Dark
Horror Happenings
SciFi Shop Talk
Slice of SciFi TV

Copyright © 2005–2022 · Magazine Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in