Title – It’s What’s Inside (2024) 

Director – Greg Jardin (feature debut) 

Cast – Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, David Thompson, Alycia Debnam-Carey

Plot – A group of college friends gather together before a wedding but things take a dark turn when tech-genius Forbes (Thompson) arrives with a mysterious briefcase, setting in motion an increasingly dark series of events involving swapped bodies and mistaken identities.  

“No body is leaving the same as they came”

Review by Eddie on 21/10/2024 

Generating a significant amount of online hype following its recent launch on Netflix, Greg Jardin’s feature debut It’s What’s Inside is a film that has understandably got people talking with its devilishly inventive core plot, a plot that helps overcome a lot of other weaknesses found throughout to create a fun and fast-paced exercise that is a cut-above usual Netflix originals.

With a sharp visual sense, baggage free editing and a unique take on an otherwise familiar seeming body swap exploration, Inside places a magnifying glass over how humans would react should they be given the chance to inhabit someone’s body that they know, which is allowed to happen here thanks to David Thompson’s untrustworthy tech guru Forbes who brings along some top secret machinery on the eve of an impending wedding. 

Featuring an eclectic assortment of characters that aren’t overly likeable in the typical sense of the word but make for intriguing players in Forbes wild and unpredictable game nonetheless, Inside sees its group of participants working off one another, feuding with one another and trying to get with one another and while Jardin (also acting as the films sole writer) doesn’t have anything grandiose or new to say about the human condition, he has a lot of fun exploring the flaws of humanity in this twisting and turning rollercoaster. 

Managing to juggle quite a few balls in the air at once when the happenings here really crank up a notch or two, Jardin proves himself to be more than adept at handling a lot at once and Inside does a top notch job at ensuring despite its many ideas and character movements that occur throughout, they’re always easy to follow and understand with Jardin utilising some neat concepts and design choices to allow us to follow who has inhabited the various bodies and what their motivations are for their varied decisions both good and bad. 

By allowing us to keep tabs on what’s going on and who is up to what, Jardin makes us an audience member feel like we are a part of the game, making for a fun and involving experience that is the equivalent of a sugar-rush. 

It’s a rush that won’t be long-lasting and doesn’t provide much in the way of sustained nourishment but it’s an undeniably pleasant rush regardless with Inside showcasing a new director to keep a close eye on in the years moving forward. 

Final Say – 

A flawed and at times rough around the edges experience that also has ample smarts and creatively ingenious ideas at play, It’s What’s Inside is a game you’ll want to be a part of while it lasts, gifting you 100 minutes of solidly entertaining spectacle throughout. 

3 garden ornaments out of 5