There are no cut and dried answers here, just a mystery and a happening that defies logic but makes you feel that it just might happen somewhere unknown to anyone. What is really happening at this cult, why are some people behaving so strangely, what is the past that has pulled the two brothers back to make sense of it all.

I liked the movie, the acting and the flow is good and the tempo maintained till the end. The theme of living life in a loop where one day is very much like the other is intriguing but the possibility that some alien intelligence is making it happen leaving no way to escape such a fate seems a little depressing.

But finally it is a different movie, well made and so different than the standard SciFi genre that it is worth a watch.

Seen by itself The Endless might not make a whole lot of sense. It is a companion piece to the filmmaker duo's first feature film Resolution and must make much more sense if seen together: Resolution then The Endless. Under the surface Is a gnostic view of reality in which the demiurge (who considers himself God) rules over its subjects with time and space, keeping us all in an Endless loop of birth life death rebirth et al, unless you are able to break free from the time loop prison. These guys have some real talent and am definitely looking forward to future projects.

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead wanted to make a film. The problem is that they're newcomers to filmmaking and didn't have the millions it usually costs to make a movie. So, they chose to star in the film, direct, produce and Benson wrote the script! In addition, although the film has some sci-fi/supernatural elements, they managed to create some stunning special effects on the cheap! Watching it is like a lesson on economical filmmaking...and it's a darned good film to boot!

Justin and Aaron (yes, the filmmakers use their real names) both apparently left a cult many years ago. Unfortunately, their lives have sucked since and not Aaron is growing wistful and wants to return to this cult for at least a visit. Exasperated, his brother eventually agrees to make the drive to the middle of no where. And, not surprisingly Aaron LOVES the place and wants to stay. Justin, on the other hand, soon learns more about the place and is scared to death...as Aaron eventually will be as well.

I would try to explain more about the plot but it's almost impossible to describe the plot. Instead, just watch it with an open mind and enjoy the high quality of the production. It's also a film with a few funny moments as well as harrowing ones...and a film that I am very happy I saw at the Philadelphia Film Festival.

The writing had flaws and the acting by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead was too stale (they should've just stuck to directing). The 111 min run time felt like 180 mins. The pace should have been faster and the film edited down to 90 mins max. The Directing and cinematography however was very good and the overall story concept was interesting. Sure it's a low budget film, but most of the flaws wouldn't cost much to avoid/fix. It's a 6/10 from me.

After viewing a large number of horror/sci-fi movies, the plots tend to bleed into each other. Everything seems to be derivative and formulaic. This is not that kind of movie. It is very original and kept my attention the entire running. It is sooo refreshing to see new ideas in my beloved genre. That being said, not all your questions will be answered. It will be a bit confusing at time, but I will gladly forgive those minor flaws for originality, great acting, and a well done movie. I highly recommend this movie to those seeking something different that is well done and very engaging. I've been a big fan of the director's other works such as VHS: Viral, Dementia and Spring. Give them a look if you get a chance. I might just have to see this again with my horror friends. It's a great movie.

It ranges from brilliant to ridiculous to horrible-- sometimes during the course of two scenes. I understand the limitations of working with a low budget, and they did a fairly good job of just making a coherent story. I've seen many low budget features and shorts that weren't even coherent, let alone good.

I just don't like its imbalanced tone and story. My main problem: when Justin Benson's character threw down verbally against the cult leader there should have been a tonal change with him that lasted for the remainder of the film. No one would have such an epiphany and verbally blow up at someone about the horrible conditions in that place then just lollygag through the remainder of his escape. Just moments after he decided that he wanted to leave he seemed as indifferent and lethargic as he seemed during the beginning of the film. There was no sense of urgency or anger or even panic in his acting-- normal things that one would expect in those conditions. It might have been a limitation of him directing himself. Aaron Moorehead's performance as his brother was almost as uneven. They seemed to play basically the same people from the start of the film to its ending. I misinterpreted their natural performances at the beginning of the film as the signs of good actors. No. If no one seems to emote the danger and urgency in a film, why should a viewer care? Overall, it's a so-so film.

Two grown brothers, who escaped a cult when they were kids, receive a video from same cult, enticing them to return. The older Justin (Justin Benson) has vivid and terrible memories of their time with the group, but younger Aaron (Aaron Moorhead)has just hazy memories of pleasant times. So, despite Justin's wishes, the two do in fact return to the compound they left a decade earlier. But why are they being summoned back? Are their lives (again) in danger? Or has the cult changed into just being another Northern California commune? When the brothers arrive in the middle of nowhere, they find the de facto leader Hal (Tate Ellington), who explains that the group has prospered in the years since Aaron and Justin left. Their primary source of income? Homemade beer. Very hipster. The members of the small commune/cult each have their own special skill, whether it's painting, knitting, magic tricks. The list is pretty finite, actually.

But it isn't too long before things get a little unsettling. No spoilers here; the cult believes there is an all-powerful deity who exists only for them – i.e., not a God from any other religion. This entity sends the group messages via cassette tapes and Polaroid photos. The group members pass this all off as normal; to be truthful, I found their happiness to be a bit unsettling. But Aaron, the younger/more impressionable of the brothers, wants to believe and is definitely looking for some structure in his life after a decade of menial jobs and no real direction. His wiser brother Justin, is strongly skeptical, but certain events do make him question his own sense of righteousness.

So this seems like a pretty straightforward story, doesn't it? Maybe there's something to the cult's thinking, maybe they're really just harmlessly living off the grid. But then a few somethings happen, and the movie switches from being about a crazed cult into being about, well, the neverending loop of reality. And that's when the movie really takes off. I'm talking about mindbending twists and some terrific special effects. Just like that, the plot zooms from just sort of floating about, intriguing but not enticing, and then it blasts into overdrive. And suddenly nothing makes sense, and everything makes sense. It's a huge trip.

For that reason, I really enjoyed this movie, the third I saw at this year's Spooky Movie International Film Festival in Silver Spring, Maryland. The Endless was written by Benson and directed by Benson and Moorhead, and they score with all aspects of their work here. If you're looking for a distorted-reality movie, check out The Endless.

The Endless is a film that is easy to get pulled into due to the variety of its techniques and the intention of its direction. A daunting atmosphere is created almost instantly with ominous scoring and dramatic transitions from scene to scene. Tensions rise as the plot carefully creeps along and the cast is given room to hit notes as diverse as comedic and horrifying. However, while the craft of this movie may be clear, the drawbacks are clear as well.

Some jokes fall flat, some characters feel incomplete, and some effects look weak. The Endless gives so many gifts but, unfortunately, it delivers some misses as well. Lightly peppered throughout the existential themes and sprawling imagery are cheesy lines and forced plot points, which leaves the whole thing feeling like a slightly missed opportunity. Superb sound, pacing and direction make The Endless a fascinating film from the drop but it all comes with enough miscalculations that the tonal integrity may be questioned by some. The result is a film that has potential to form a niche following but receive some mixed reviews from the general public.

Writing: 7/10 Direction: 8/10 Cinematography: 8/10 Acting: 5/10 Editing: 8/10 Sound: 9/10 Score/Soundtrack: 7/10 Production Design: 5/10 Casting: 5/10 Effects: 7/10

Overall Score: 7.1/10

I have not seen the Spring movie yet (I bought it because it got recommended to me by a lot of people), but I have seen the previous stand alone future movie they did - Resolution. And let's say it did prepare me for this. Because while this looks like one thing and kind of is, there are layers upon layers to this. Usually when directors act in their own stuff, in low budget movies especially, nothing much comes out of that.

This is an exception if you want to call it that. Then again, you will only be able to enjoy this movie if you have some patience and if you are willing to get with the flow of the movie and the pace it sets. Also its weirdness ... a lot of weirdness going on. Many questions, not so many answers. Can you dig that? If so, this is really exceptional

I'd really just like to advise any potential viewers to look for Resolution first, before watching this.

Ain't often that I feel taken aback by worldbuilding, but this here really feels special.

What to say about this film? It wasn't what I intended to see when I traveled to the cinemas last month, but it's what I got. I don't have much to say about the actors, or directors, nor their previous films. I simply walked into this movie blind. It's from this perspective that I'll put together my short review. The Endless is a film about time, life and consequences, coupled with supernatural themes and elements.

The Endless starts out poorly and awkwardly with obvious low production value, stale acting and a weirdly present shaky cam. The poor impression this put on me harmed the film in the short term, but actually left a lot of room for it to move upwards, and that it did. The film itself decently improves once the plot moves from the characters normal lives and into the isolated country area where the rest of the movie takes place.

The plot itself is the movies strongest suit, but that isn't saying much. It delivers decently on tense moments, interesting characters and creative concepts. Throughout the film I had to remain on my toes to stay on top of some of its more convoluted elements, which I'm going to put into the negative category. I honestly believe a film's plot should at least on a surface level be completely graspable in a first watch, with still plenty of underlying points and themes waiting to be discovered later.

By and large the film didn't capture my attention for very long and its even taken me a while to get around to writing this review. In summary, the film keeps itself moving on its good pacing and plot, but is constantly brought down by over-complicated elements and stale acting. I had originally considered a 7 out of 10 for the film, but on revision I think I will leave it with a 6.

Unfortunately I'm a logical thinker, who prefers movies that makes sense or at least let me know what's going on. Acting is okay, story is different, but decisions do not match the personalities of the characters that has been presented. The movie ends with you not exactly sure what has happened, which is a common element in these director's movies(Resolution & Spring).

Two brothers return to the cult they fled from years ago to discover that the group's beliefs may be more sane than they once thought.

This film is more clever than it first appears, because it operates on at least two levels. On the surface, it is a taut, well-crafted horror story about a (possible) "death cult". We have some mysterious rituals, a missing husband, and seemingly silly camp activities that may – or may not – have a darker purpose.

Some of this is vaguely alluded to in the opening quote from H. P. Lovecraft, and further still during the lake "reveal". The scare quotes here are just because what is revealed at this moment is entirely up to the imaginations of the viewer. A certain Lovecraft story may provide a guide, or it may be merely a coincidence or red herring. But once the big reveal comes, everything goes dark, and the suspense truly becomes horror.

The subcutaneous level is focused on a theme: the truth of religion, either this one or religion in general. Though this film really only explores the reality of one (fictional) religion, it does make us wonder: what if some religions we find strange are actually right? With so many religions in the world, it is certainly possible that one or more are correct. And if the strangest ones might be right, we ought to question our own beliefs: do we believe correctly? With so many choices, it is hard to say for sure.

Though this deeper meaning may not have been intentional, it nevertheless exists and makes the film even more interesting. The filmmakers previously had a hit with "Resolution" (2012), but all signs point to "The Endless" being an even bigger success. The film played at Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, and will no doubt be seen by a wider audience throughout 2017.

Two brothers receive a video from a cult they escaped years earlier. Older brother Justin Smith had pulled his younger brother Aaron out believing the group to be a death cult and insists that they had committed mass suicide. Aaron remembers nothing but good times. Justin admits that he had not actually witness any deaths. They go back to examine their vastly different past experiences. Aaron falls for Anna. There is something surreal happening within the camp.

The premise is interesting. I love the rope scene. It is simple and compelling. It's a simple in camera effect which isn't even that difficult. What it is is that it presented something mysterious and intriguing. It is the best idea ever. Then the special effects get surreal and random. It stops being compelling. As for the actors, the two brothers are lackluster. They don't have much personality and honestly, sometimes I confused them. At a certain point, I stopped caring. It's a standard indie failing. They need at least one top level actor but they don't have it here. Also, Justin needs better motivation to go back. The movie isn't clear enough. Quite frankly, he would probably hide from it rather than confront it. This indie has some greatness in it but not consistently great.

Ignoring Thomas Wolfe's observation that "You can't go home again," brothers Justin (Justin Benson, "Dementia") and Aaron Smith (Aaron Moorhead, "Contracted: Phase II"), as an expression of completion, return to a California cult from which they had escaped ten years ago. Written and directed by Benson and Moorhead, The Endless is a low-budget psychological drama that juggles elements of horror and science fiction, unfolding in a world where reality is malleable and where past, present, and future exist simultaneously. Opening with a quote from legendary fantasy/horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, "The oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown," the film plays with time loops and apocalyptic visions, but its basic element is the relationship between siblings Aaron and Justin and their desire for mutual support.

Living in poverty and adrift in a world that offers little satisfaction for them, Justin and Aaron become nostalgic for Camp Arcadia when they discover a mysterious video tape with a message from Anna (Callie Hernandez, "Alien: Covenant"), a woman they knew at the commune. Reminded of the sense of security they felt at the camp, the friendships they made, and especially the good food they can almost taste, Aaron suggests that they visit the commune for one day and a skeptical Justin agrees to keep his brother happy. Their return is full of some trepidation as they recall stories about a "death cult," but when they arrive and find that very little seems to have changed and no one seems to have aged, they believe that they have made a good choice.

As things turn out, however, they probably wish that they had taken more time to consider their decision. Hal (Tate Ellington, "Straight Outta Compton") greets them first and welcomes them back to the camp. (He says that he's not really the leader, just someone who talks more than the others). They also meet "Smiling Dave" (David Lawson Jr., "Resolution") who never speaks presumably because he drilled a hole in his skull to find God, Jennifer Danube (Emily Montague, "Fright Night"), a woman who leaves notes all around requesting quiet, Tim (Lew Temple, "Kidnap") who forgives Justin for spreading false rumors about the camp after he left, and a perpetually angry fellow named "Shitty Carl" (James Jordan, "Wind River") whose own hanging corpse keeps him company in his shed.

Almost immediately, the brothers take part in bonding rituals, performing magic tricks with adept Shane Williams (Shane Brady, "Spring") and participating in a tug of war with an immeasurably long rope that connects to something in the sky that we can only imagine. With the insistent music of Jimmy Lavalle setting a menacing tone, all the fun and games soon morph into eerie happenings, governed by an unseen entity. Birds fly in a pattern in one direction, then instantaneously reverse course and fly in the opposite direction, huge trees decide to fall to the ground without warning, a tiger meanders through an opening in the woods, and other nerve jangling events including the sighting of totems, metallic dragon demons, and a monolith they carved on a tree or stone many years ago. One might sensibly conclude that the Gods must be crazy.

While it may be too facile to say that the time loops are endless, Benson "explains" them this way, "So when you cross into one past, you come to a different loop each time. If you want to be really specific, the radius or diameter of the circles they form, as it gets bigger, the loop gets longer and as they get smaller, the loops get smaller" - or whatever. In spite of the weirdness (or perhaps because of it), Aaron wants to stay another night and then another and the conversation between the brothers about whether to stay or leave becomes central to the film. The not overly friendly cosmic force, however, has something to say in the proceedings and no matter how much the brothers try to leave, they find themselves right back where they started.

The Endless is not a typical in-your-face horror film that leaves blood splattered in your lap, but a much more cerebral experience in which the characters are people you can recognize from your own life, people that you can care about. Although some of the scares come across as being contrived and unconvincing, there are enough thrills to keep you involved from beginning to end. Though its message of forgiveness resonates as does the growing connection between Aaron and Justin, to fully understand its message, stay tuned for the inevitable sequels. They could be endless.

A badly executed movie is like a badly written book. Nobody wants to read a book that has bad grammar, or off scenes, no matter how good the idea is. This movie for starters, is ugly. It looks bad. The screen is green and dirty yellow, looking cheap. The effects are bad. Secondly the acting is not good, epecially the dark haired brother. Third, the script is inconsistent and confusing. On top if it all, is the storyline. Weird, sometimes compelling, but generally boring and just makes no sense at all. Just becuase its weird does not make it smart. Please stop trying to condescend viewers with bad scripts that are supposed to be complex and smart but really just not well made and don't make sense.

On a positive rating note the raw idea of spending eternity in a time loop is an interesting plot premise. On many negative notes it is worth two to four stars. 1. Time loops are impossible because they require going back in time - a no-no, but fun to talk (make films) about. Not explained was how they took place; did they effect each person differently; at what age do they come back as; long long do they last; ways of ending it had contradictory outcomes. 2. Cheap special effects of CGI force field bubbles; three moons in the sky; pulling on a rope seemingly stretching out into wherever. First, overused; second, makes no sense; third, still another mystery creator is a film no show; fourth, the reliance on old tech film rolls capable of running backward makes no sense as a visual or causal explanation. 3. Dialogue in trying to be philosophical was all over the place, sort of institutional patient illogical. 2' by 2' chalk blackboard w/single equation as an explanatory hook - nope! 4. Not much of what you could label as acting took place. 5. Another open ended (meaning they couldn't figure out an ending that makes sense) thus our car running w/no gas suggests ...

This film is dreadful, simply dreadful. People appear to rate any old rubbish highly if it is confusing enough and pretends to have some kind of message (sorry, the only message here is that the filmmakers are laughing at you idiots who rate this film so highly). There is zero tension, zero comedy (sorry but having a guy repeatedly refer to crack wasn't funny in your first terrible film and it still isn't funny now) The plot makes no sense, in fact there isn't a plot. The premise isn't complex, people stuck in a time loop, OK wow so original haven't heard that one before. But why are they there? Why do some appear to realize they are in a loop and some do not (big big plot hole, why are the drug addict and his douche mate just hanging around if they know they are in a loop, break out that meth then and get the party started boys!) Why are they smoking red flowers (because it's like cool man, y'know) Why don't they just hang around getting wasted and rutting each other? I'll tell you the answer to all these questions.... there is no answer because these lazy filmmakers made their stupid film deliberately confusing so that thick pseudo-intellectuals would talk about it on the internet. Awful, boring, lazy and zero intellect nor subtlety. If you like this film you are a brain dead moron. Enjoy.

It has its mild strengths but wow tooo many weaknesses. I had a hard time staying tuned.

This film is a sequel to a film titled Resolution for those people who wondered who the guys in the cabin were... this is world building 101, i like it

I feel it is not really appropriate for people to review films where they essentially got bored and their attention wandered off. sometimes some people are just not wired to like some films.

the problem here is while I did in fact lose interest in this film, I continued to force myself to stay on to it.

First off, it takes a full 1 hour and 20 minutes for the film to get into its "real" plot with sci-fi/horror elements. Up until then, we are stuck with two protagonists, formerly a part of a UFO Death Cult, who inexplicably get sent a goodbye video from the cult indicating the cult is still alive. So they go back to the cult and just start squatting and paling around with their old cult friends, all while dryly navel gazing and having some of the most broad, non-specific, generalized conversations possible to convey drama without actually giving us any real substance behind it.

At no point throughout the first hour and 20 minutes do I ever figure out who these people are, what they are, why they have come back, or anything at all about this supposed cult. At no point does any of the meandering dialogue ever approach anything resembling the plot at this point. The only thing we get is that one of the two friends feels at home back in his cult, and the other one doesn't. The only thing overly unusual is the appearance of two moons in the sky, which one of them coyly responds is an atmospheric effect of some sort. It takes a full hour and 20 minutes to get that far and literally no further.

After a full hour and 20 minutes of NOTHING, the movie starts throwing baffling sequences that make no sense, random discoveries of tapes and computer harddrives, implications of a time paradox or the like, and constant mentioning of a "loop" which, as minutes tick past and the film rolls on, reeks copiously of Telling, and not Showing.

what basically destroys this movie is it pushes its sci-fi/horror/mystery all the way literally to the very last 30 minutes, and spends the first ONE HOUR AND TWENTY MINUTES not only never even coming close to its "Loop" storyline, but settling on a character story between two characters who have no personalities and literally no meaningful interactions with anyone in the entire film. Everyone acts like they never really left the cult because they are such wafer-thin non-entities that they may as well have not been in the film at all. they could easily be replaced by any random duo, even Laurel and Hardy, and have absolutely nothing meaningful change in any way.

By the time genuinely interesting head-spinning stuff starts happening, it's too late. The film has already wasted all its time and instead just taunts us with some genuinely intriguing and compelling imagery, like the fractured remnants of a far superior film that ran out of money 30 minutes in and had to be filled in with cheap, hastily written nothingness.

Grown but down on their mundane life brothers, decide to revisit their childhood UFO death cult for some closure. Bad idea right? Well, not if you're making a movie, then it is an absolutely kickass, brilliant idea.

Indie filmsters Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, write, direct and star in this terrific slow burner, which like all conflagrations, rage out of control at a thrilling, exponential pace once all the elements come together.

What appears to be a reluctant older brother keeping the Kool Aid away from his susceptibly eager sibling plot line, suddenly spirals into a mysterious vortex of wavy dimensions. Sounds blockbustery, but somehow the adept work of a small budgeted crew. Lots of twists and imaginative surprises make this a heckuva joyride.

What's up? Good question. Anyone in need of an escape from the daily grind with an addictive dose of clever confusion, step right up.

I don't understand the rave reviews this film has got. It is slow and boring and you wait for something scary or interesting to happen and it's just mildly weird. Not worth the time unfortunately.

For millennials who didn't get to see "the blair witch project" you can see this instead. except there's no camera. is it a cult? are we hallucinating? do we care?

Interesting idea very poorly executed.

Comes across as a school project and rings all the wrong bells - plunky plunky miserable music when none is needed, wooden actors with wooden characters, softer focus and lens flare (all the bloody time) and dialogue delivered like hostages reading their ransom note.

The story, or should I say the idea of the story, is very good.

Too good to be wasted on this execution.