A Mother-Daughter Bond Against the Infinite

Read Time:6 Minute, 0 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Project Genesis (Taklee Genesis x Worlds Collide)
–

Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy, Adventure
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 2h 9m
Director(s): Chookiat Sakveerakul
Writer(s): Chookiat Sakveerakul, Thanamas Dhalerngsuk, Sorawit Muangkaew
Cast: Paula Taylor, Peter Corp Dyrendal, Wanarat Ratsameerat, Nutthacha Jessica Padovan, Inthira Charoenpura, Phutharit Prombandal, Nara Thepnupha, Kittisak Patomburana, Jenjira Widner, Noutnapha Soydala
Where to Watch: available on digital platforms and in physical formats (UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD) on October 21, 2025

RAVING REVIEW: A classified Cold War experiment. A radio call from a father lost in time—a mom who decides to chase the impossible. PROJECT GENESIS doesn’t start small, and it refuses to play small once it gets moving. Writer/director Chookiat Sakveerakul swings for the fences with a genre cocktail that laces time-travel sci-fi with kaiju flourishes, prehistoric spectacle, dystopian futures, and a mother-daughter story sturdy enough to steady the camera when the movie’s imagination threatens to buckle it. Ambition is the point here—ambition of scope, of timeline, of texture—and the film largely earns the right to be big by keeping its human center in focus.

Stella, played by Paula Taylor, is the center of the film, with a tenacity that keeps it honest. Stella’s life is already teetering when she returns home; the ghost of a vanished father hangs over a house full of old questions, and a daughter (Nutthacha Jessica Padovan) who needs more than promises. Then the radio crackles. Dad is alive—somewhere, somewhen—and the only way to reach him is by jump-starting an abandoned American teleportation project nicknamed the Genesis Machine. Taylor plays Stella not as a chosen one but as a realist who learns to widen her definition of “possible.” That choice pays off: when velociraptors, warp tunnels, or creatures crash into frame, Stella meets them with problem-solving, not prophecy, and the film feels better off for it.

Sakveerakul’s construction is a relay race across eras. The connective tissue is less science than dramatic logic: people make choices, those choices ripple across time, and unintended consequences stack. The script sketches rules just firm enough to hold (time dilation, fixed points, the machine’s constraints) and then puts momentum over details. That’s a choice for a movie that wants to thrill first and theorize second, though it does invite some fractures. A few transitions hinge on conveniently timed phenomena, and one or two paradoxes are hand-waved with “don’t worry about it” energy. Whether those bumps bother you will depend on your tolerance for pulpy sci-fi—this is closer to an ambitious crowd-pleaser than a cerebral diagram.

What works is the worldbuilding texture. Locations feel specific: decommissioned facilities with rust and history; villages that operate on gossip, ritual, and habit; future corridors that look scuffed by use instead of conjured in CGI. Monthon Pongpab’s production design rides a clever through-line—motifs and tech silhouettes echo across epochs—so the film’s leaps feel like chapters of one book instead of anthology entries. The creature concepts and large-scale threats are mounted with a practical/CGI blend that aims for tactile presence over showroom gloss; you can see the seams sometimes, but you can also feel the weight. When the movie reveals its budget, it also demonstrates its ingenuity with it.

Performance-wise, the ensemble understands the tone. Peter Corp Dyrendal’s Ith brings scientist-dreamer energy with just enough ego to complicate the mission. Wanarat Ratsameerat’s Kong carries the film’s strangest burden—an existence unmoored from ordinary time—and plays it with the wary quiet of someone who suspects the truth is worse than the rumors. Young Padovan is a genuine asset as Valen, a kid who repeatedly decides to be brave because her mother asked her to be. Those dynamics anchor the movie’s most affecting passages, particularly when Stella’s determination starts to look like obsession and the story asks what any of us owes the people still with us when the absent come calling.

As a piece of action-adventure storytelling, PROJECT GENESIS runs hot. The 129-minute runtime packs in chases, sieges, and set-piece reveals that keep the needle bouncing. The tradeoff is breath: a few character beats would land harder if the movie sat with them for two or three more seconds. There’s also a mid-film stretch where escalation turns into an arms race of ideas—dinosaurs to mutants to kaiju to zombies—and the sheer “and another thing!” exuberance risks blunting impact.

Thematically, the movie mirrors Stella’s arc. It’s about refusing to let the past go—but also refusing to let it define you. The trappings let Sakveerakul play with very human questions: What would you trade to fix an old wound? What happens to your present if you succeed? How does a parent teach resilience without teaching denial? The film’s best moments, tellingly, are small: a quiet confession at the edge of a campfire; a child learning how to be strong without hardening; a parent realizing that saving someone you love might mean not following them into the dark. Those touches keep the finale from feeling like an arm's-length spectacle. It’s busy, yes, but it’s busy with stakes you can hold.

Where does it land? Somewhere between audacious and unruly. The seams show, and the genre pile-up won’t convert anyone allergic to kitchen-sink sci-fi. But the film has heart, ideas, and a sense of play; it takes big swings with sincerity and connects on enough of them to merit the size of those swings. Most importantly, it delivers a complete emotional journey for Stella and Valen. You walk out remembering why she started running, and why she had to stop.

Please visit https://linktr.ee/overlyhonestr for more reviews.

You can follow me on Letterboxd, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. My social media accounts can also be found on most platforms by searching for 'Overly Honest Reviews'.

I’m always happy to hear from my readers; please don't hesitate to say hello or send me any questions about movies.

[photo courtesy of CAPELIGHT PICTURES]

DISCLAIMER:
At Overly Honest Movie Reviews, we value honesty and transparency. Occasionally, we receive complimentary items for review, including DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, Vinyl Records, Books, and more. We assure you that these arrangements do not influence our reviews, as we are committed to providing unbiased and sincere evaluations. We aim to help you make informed entertainment choices regardless of our relationship with distributors or producers.

Amazon Affiliate Links:
Additionally, this site contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may receive a commission. This affiliate arrangement does not affect our commitment to honest reviews and helps support our site. We appreciate your trust and support in navigating these links.