The Shift
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBrock Heasley
Written byBrock Heasley
Produced by
  • Brock Heasley
  • Ken Carpenter
Starring
CinematographyEdd Lukas
Edited byChris Witt
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byAngel Studios
Release dates
  • November 3, 2023 (2023-11-03) (168 Film Festival)
  • December 1, 2023 (2023-12-01) (United States)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6.4 million[1]
Box office$4.4 million[2]

The Shift is a 2023 American science fiction thriller film written and directed by Brock Heasley and starring Kristoffer Polaha, Neal McDonough, Elizabeth Tabish, Rose Reid, John Billingsley, Paras Patel, Jordan Alexandra and Sean Astin. It was released in theaters on December 1, 2023.

Premise

Kevin Garner encounters a mysterious man known as "The Benefactor". When Kevin refuses the man's enticing offer of wealth and power, he is shifted into alternate totalitarian realities, encountering infinite worlds and impossible choices, as he attempts to return to the woman he loves.[3]

Cast

Production

Principal photography began on January 30, 2023 in Birmingham, Alabama, and shot for six weeks.[5][6] The original plan was to shoot the film in Atlanta, Georgia.[7]

Release

The Shift had an early screening at the 168 Film Festival in Fayetteville, Georgia on November 3, 2023.[8] The film was originally scheduled to be released in theatres in January 2024,[4] but was moved up to December 1, 2023.[3]

Reception

Box office

The film made $4.4 million from 2,450 theatres in its opening weekend, finishing in eighth place, behind Animal.[9]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 38% of 21 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10.[10] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an 85% overall positive score, with 69% saying they would definitely recommend the film.[9]

Frank Scheck, writing from The Hollywood Reporter, argued The Shift "traffics in the same annoying multiverse complications that have made the Marvel films so laborious". He went on to say "As the storyline endlessly and confusingly shifts from one reality to another, it’s all too easy to tune out until we encounter one that’s interesting. Alas, that never happens."[11] The Chicago Reader's Noah Berlatsky was similarly negative, writing "Brock Heasley’s The Shift is a remarkably incoherent farrago of sci-fi tropes and Christian proselytizing... [The] film slogs ahead in a manner that is both nonsensically erratic and completely predictable, with a heavy-handed voiceover inadequately trying to pull the narrative together and create some vague dramatic tension."[12]

References

  1. ↑ Whitten, Sarah (November 30, 2023). "Sound of Freedom studio looks to build on crowdfunding success with new film The Shift". CNBC. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  2. ↑ "The Shift (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Goldsmith, Jill (September 12, 2023). "Angel Studios Sets 'The Shift' Theatrical Release Date". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Ortega Law, Jeannie (June 10, 2023). "Hollywood actor says playing the devil showed him how blessed by God he really is". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  5. ↑ Chandler, Courtney (January 31, 2023). "New movie being shot in Birmingham". WIAT. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Beyond the Multiverse: The Story Behind Angel Studios' The Shift". Angel Studios. November 22, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  7. ↑ Lewallen, Ayron (March 2, 2023). "Film producer says unexpected move to Birmingham exceeded his expectations". WVTM-TV. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Updated Film Event Schedule 2023". 168 Film Festival. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  9. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 3, 2023). "Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé' $22M Opening Irreplaceable For Sleepy Early December Weekend; Fuels $95M+ Frame Best Post 2018 – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Shift". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  11. ↑ Scheck, Frank (November 29, 2023). "'The Shift' Review: Faith-Based Thriller Proves Hard to Believe In". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  12. ↑ Berlatsky, Noah (November 29, 2023). "Review: The Shift". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
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