If you like Sci-Fi or Genre Movies in any capacity you, will like this movie! With Sci-Fi, does budget make a difference in how it's received? Absolutely, if you like Sci-Fi you probably like pretty space things and aliens that don't exist so a high budget movie with poor story can still be entertaining which obviously puts low budget Sci-FI movies at a big disadvantage. Luckily, "The Stratum" manages to have pretty good VFX for its low budget, to the point where you can stop thinking about the effect and just follow the story. Is it as pretty as the 50 million dollar version? Of course not, but the story here makes sense and progresses in an entertaining way with likable leads and villains. When you think of the fact that the crew was so minimal here with the two leads wearing many hats, it's even more fulfilling to have enjoyed. This feature is worth the watch and support, keep an eye out for their future projects, I definitely will be!

I am a child of the 80s. Was raised on films like The Last Starfighter, Weird Science, Krull, and The Thing. Hitchhiker's Guide and the original Doctor Who were in my backyard, too. The ambience and spirit of those swashbuckling adventures inspired me, entertained me, made me laugh and made me think.

All that atmosphere and character is alive and well in The Stratum. The beauty of those films was their ability to hide a message of hope and courage amidst a sprawling story, and do it on a budget. Special effects were more practical and so the heavy lifting was done with dialogue and acting.

Crash Buist and Lauren Senechal deliver that, and more, with chemistry, ingenuity, and zeal. Stratum is one of those rare independent films that plucks on your heartstrings without telling you it will, and does it with a wink and a smile.

The dystopian future, the rogue hacker with a twinge of innocence, the plucky princess with a plan, and the duplicitous CEO; you'll find them here, but updated and real.

You can feel the joy that went into making the movie in every frame. And, at the end of the day, you might walk away inspired, to not only see the world a little differently, but maybe to try and change it, too.