Flatliners

A promising young medical intern (Ellen Page) persuades several colleagues (Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton, Kiersey Clemons) to join her in a dangerous experiment to investigate near-death experiences; those who are “killed” and then resuscitated find themselves haunted by frightening visions and hallucinations. Hard to believe it’s been 27 years since Joel Schumacher’s sci-fi thriller with Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts and Kevin Bacon, but it has. This loose remake (directed by Niels Arden Oplev, with writer Ben Ripley overhauling Peter Filardi’s original) updates the visions with state-of-the-art CGI, and the result is satisfyingly creepy. The new cast injects some new blood (no pun intended), and Sutherland makes a sporting cameo appearance. Nothing special, perhaps, but no disgrace either. J.L.