“Zero Contact” follows five characters based all over the world, connected only by their devotion to the late founder and tech titan Finley Hart (Anthony Hopkins). Forced to work together to shut down Hart’s most secret invention, a machine that is either the solution to mankind’s problems or the end of life on earth.
“Zero Contact,” thinks of itself as an intriguing sci-fi thriller, introducing what it perceives as engaging elements that, under different circumstances, might be interpreted as high-concept. Unfortunately, the film collapses under its own narcissistic weight under Rick Dugdale’s insipid direction. It tries to convince its audience that its science fiction is sophisticated and thought-provoking when in all reality, it is anything but.
After Finley Hart (Anthony Hopkins), the eccentric genius behind a global data-mining program dies, and his program along with him, several years later, five remote agents, including his son Sam (Chris Brochu), people who worked alongside Finley when he was alive, are contacted by a cryptic AI entity who demands they revive the program utilizing secret passwords they all received from Finley years ago, or risk dying. Realizing that the program could facilitate time travel, strange things begin to occur at each person’s residence. Now all five agents must decide if reactivating the program will bring about the world’s end or save it.
The film proudly announces that it was shot during the Covid pandemic and that every actor who appears onscreen shot their individual scenes remotely, using smartphones or Zoom, and never once share the screen. Many movies were shot during the pandemic, but the film’s marketing wears this as a badge of honor, as if that one aspect is supposed to elevate the movie and ignore the story’s absurdities and disparities. At one point during the film, a character states, “The machine runs on dark matter reactor.” That one line piqued my curiosity as if there might be a chance the story could redeem itself but that moment of curiosity quickly subsided as the narrative sunk further and further into its own dark matter.
The only reason I can imagine Anthony Hopkins accepted his role is that he could shoot his scenes by himself in the comfort of his own home and not have to interact with other cast members, especially given his age and at-risk factors. Even the appearance of Hopkins can’t save “Zero Factor,” and to learn that Lionsgate is moving forward with two more sequels is beyond baffling. If you want to watch a captivating movie about dark matter, check out Steve Brown and Timothy Wheeler’s 2019 documentary, “Chasing Einstein,” it might leave you with more questions than answers, but at least it won’t feel like a waste of time.
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