D.A.R.Y.L.

Directed by Simon Wincer, D.A.R.Y.L. follows a young boy (Barret Oliver’s Daryl) as he makes a shocking discovery about himself after being placed with foster parents (Mary Beth Hurt’s Joyce and Michael McKean’s Andy). Filmmaker Wincer, armed with a screenplay by David Ambrose, Allan Scott, and Jeffrey Ellis, does a terrific job of instantly capturing the viewer’s interest and attention, as D.A.R.Y.L. opens with a high-octane sequence involving a pursuit between a government helicopter and a car holding Oliver’s central figure. From there, though, the picture segues into an excessively deliberate midsection focused mostly on Daryl’s ongoing attempts at embracing his new suburban surroundings – with the far-from-enthralling atmosphere exacerbated by an emphasis on digressions of a decidedly lackluster nature (eg Daryl’s efforts at playing baseball). And while the movie’s ’80s aesthetic remains appealing throughout, D.A.R.Y.L., despite its assortment of agreeable performances, wears out its welcome long before it arrives at its comparatively electrifying, action-oriented third act – which ultimately does confirm its place as a relentlessly erratic misfire that feels like it should be so much better.

** out of ****