The word " Fundamental " is defined as " A central primary/rule/principal on which something is based " The word often crops up when religion is discussed . It's also used erroneously when describing non believers as " fundamental atheists " when no such thing exists ? How do I mean ? As Richard Dawkins - himself often described as a " fundamental atheist " - is quick to point out there's no such thing as fundamental atheism . All atheists are open minded enough to believe in a God if there was evidence . So far there has not been the slightest evidence whatsoever there's a God or afterlife in any shape or form and in a world that has given us the text of Marx and Darwin it's very difficult to believe in God though we ( Atheists ) are more than happy to be proved wrong . Would a Jihadist be happy to see their opinion changed ? No , because they're fundamentalists who through their social conditioning won't listen to evidence . You see the point I'm making ?
FUNDAMENTAL is a New Zealand film that according to this website uses this principal as its premise . To quote the summary " A small group of scientists are called in for a weekend of potentially historic research that spirals into a nightmare of fanaticism as we witness the lengths to which some people will go to defend their beliefs " so it has all the makings of a good and perhaps cerebral psycho-thriller . Unfortunately the production doesn't live up to it's potential
Oh tell me more Theo , you've got me fundamentally intrigued
Well to be fair to director Bill Hunt it's his first film after spending a few years working in some massive productions and they don't get more massive than LORD OF THE RINGS and AVATAR so he handles things like camera work , editing and sound mix very well . The downside is he's working with a cast who are quite simply awful . When the Maori security guard opened his mouth and started delivering his lines in the manner of a bored ten year old appearing in the school play which led me to believe he was a real life security guard with the thespian skills of a snooker cue . As the film progressed it became obvious that he was Daniel Day Lewis compared to the rest of the cast who are mainly making their first - and probably last - appearance in a cinematic release . Supposedly the actors are playing characters whose very mortal lives are in peril but I've seen Christopher Hitchens giving a lecture show more fear than the people here . The villains are just as bad . If you want a non actor playing a religious maniac you could do worse than phone up the God Channel and ask Pat Robertson if he wants to star in a movie