Kin

A lot of movies come out each year. I mean... a lot. Usually, they fall into two camps: Major studio release and indie films. But don't you know it, there are always those weird ones that fall somewhere in between. By their very nature, they should be categorized as a major studio release, but there is something missing. They are interesting enough to attract name stars, but not quite good enough to put butts in the seats. They are major releases that no one cares about. "Kin" is a member of this club, and it's probably best to let it remain forgotten.

Fourteen-year-old Eli lives a life of seclusion in Detroit. He lacks an interest in school and spends a good deal of his time scavenging abandoned buildings for scrap that he can sell. His home life is filled with rules, now that it is just him and his adoptive father. While scavenging, Eli stumbles upon what appears to be the aftermath of a battle with futuristic alien-looking creatures. From one of the bodies, he discovers what appears to be a type of gun. He finds that he has a special connection to the gun and now, with his older brother home from prison and in debt to some very bad men, it just might come in handy.

"Kin" is built on a mountain of problems. Its plot is paper-thin and just as fragile. This is likely the result of young directors asked to expand a short film to feature length that didn't really have the legs to make it. The original short from writer-directors Jonathan and Josh Baker, "Bag Man," is more of a special effects showcase than anything of true substance. With a fifteen-minute runtime, it's forgivable to be light on plot and be little more than something interesting to look at. However, once you stretch that same concept to around 100 minutes, the holes become the only thing that you can see. All of the characters are thin, and despite considerable efforts from the likes of Jack Reynor, James Franco, and Zo� Kravitz, there just isn't enough there to do anything with. Making matters worse is Myles Truitt's underwhelming leading performance, where he is more annoying than intriguing.

Despite the film's inability to connect, the Blu-ray release is packed with a staggering amount of special features. Typically, when I review these Blu-rays, the features are small and predictable, but in the case of "Kin," they are massive and like little I've seen before. In fact, the release's behind-the-scenes feature, "Thicker Than Water: The Making of Kin," runs longer than the film itself. That is in addition to a feature commentary, deleted scenes, a featurette on the special effects, and a kind of weird feature on special features that runs for nearly an hour. To top it all off, the Blu-ray release also includes the short upon which the film is based.

"Kin" is a movie with more problems than it's worth, but its Blu-ray release boasts so many special features that break with tradition that I almost want to recommend it. Almost.

"Kin"
Blu-ray / DVD Combo
$14.96
https://www.lionsgate.com/