Conrad has a lot of troubles; he's a revolutionary (a vigilante killer even) who is to be executed on prime time television. It would have gone down just as planned if not for the fact that he manages a last minute escape. Turning for help to Grace Stone, the woman he once loved, (she's also the person who gave him up to the authorities) he makes a run for some underground tunnels (connected to a parking garage) to try and make his escape from the city. Elsewhere, the neglected son of the man who runs the Embo Corporation, the company responsible for the runaway hit virtual reality game Subterano, tells some friends to meet him at an underground location so he can show them the advances he's made cracking some code or another. Also, there's an old man who used to work for the corporation, now embittered (fired), heading down the same path so he can pack up his car and go home. The parking garage in question, where everybody has managed to come together, just happens to be the property of the Embo Corporation. Those underground parking facilities can be real happening social places at around midnight, ya' know?

Once everyone has been sort of corralled together near the exit they discover the security guard; he has a bullet hole where his eyeball used to be and is of absolutely no help. Help with what, you so rightfully ask? The entire place has been locked down tighter than Fort Knox and nobody is getting out. There is a woman, claiming to be security, who responds to the four teenaged troublemakers mooning her by head-butting one of 'em and tossing him around some. The only person unaccounted for so far is the son of Embo's big boss. Oh yeah, there are some not altogether, too threatening looking, little robots buzzing around in the shadows as well.

Things get moving, a little bit, after one of the young girls (Monkey is her name) is kidnapped by the evil forces at large. Another of the teenagers happens to be an avid Subterano player and, seeing the little robot, instantly recognizes him from the game. He fills everyone in on the details, as far as he knows them, and they head off to try and save the girl and find an escape; the game is underway. Moving through the early levels our heroes are attacked by the likes of Sluggo, Ninjo and Terrordacto. No good trying to get around without any protection, it's reasoned, so they take a car. The "game" responds by sending out the Kamikarzos, which explode underneath things like, say...cars. One of the silliest chase scenes since The Dead Pool follows. When the humans have their mode of transportation trashed the Kamikarzos re-spawn as Flatten. It's a sleek, mean looking, evil monstrosity that growls and prowls; its intention is to... Yeah, you guessed it - flatten. After that sinister distraction, Mr. Cleary (the older, fired guy) wanders off on his own; it is a bad idea. Some surprising and effective drama, as well as a little gore in this scene, but it's instantly marred by some truly ridiculous puns. Shame really. It's one of the most involving scenes in the entire flick up to that point.

The rest of he film is, for the most part, an unsuccessfully eclectic mixture of drama, science fiction, comedy, violence, minor gore and a precious few, real surprises. The setting is interesting; it's sort of a bleak, Orwell inspired, futuristic one. It's a not quite reality that's hinted at more than shown and it is that ambiguity that creates a decent atmosphere throughout. The CGI is convincing and generally impressive. The two leads are especially solid performers and I hope to see more of Tasma Walton (here playing Grace) in the future. Chris Haywood as Mr. Cleary is also noteworthy. Everyone else comes through enough in their respective roles though it's not the acting I have a problem with. I'll finish up the positive first. Director Esben Storm (As Mort S. Seben - tricky eh?) has an eye for the camera and the cinematography is great, which is saying something since nearly the whole thing takes place in a massive, underground, parking garage. Now the problem with it all is this; it seems like every time momentum starts to build, or whenever something serious happens, it's countered with something goofy. The impact is often diluted. Logically, there are pretty big leaps of faith required. Some of the dialogue feels just a bit forced, especially early on. Instead of running with what is interesting the plot veers off into standard, and often predictable, territory. Many scenes in Subterano feel like a cross between Cube (a little) and the second story from the film Nightmares (a lot) in which Emilio Estevez fights The Bishop of Battle, a video game that comes to life. As a matter of fact, that story climaxes in a large and empty parking garage... Subterano could have been something special if they had fleshed out the characters a bit more and run with some of the background ideas but, as it stands, it's an average and familiar movie with few rewards. The last scene left an odor of cheese in my living room so strong that I am still trying to get rid of it. Game over.

The disc is very nice to look at; the colors full and vibrant and the soundtrack is well separated surround sound. A screener copy was used for the review and the retail version is said to have 5.1. A thirteen-minute behind the scenes feature is included containing interviews with cast and crew and a trailer rounds out the extras. Subterano is presented full frame. However, all of the film clips in the Making Of segment are shown in widescreen. The director (as well as some of the cast) has been associated with no small amount of television projects and in the end credits it says, "In association with Showtime Australia". It was also based on a comic book series.