Brought to You By Task Rabbit

A few years ago on a long plane ride, I had myself a ridiculously fun time with Searching. The gimmicky setup of "movie told by a laptop" isn't new to most horror fans (many of us were unimpressed by Host when we'd already enjoyed two Unfriendeds) but when done well, it can be a truly fun time. 

Quick Plot: June has a serious case of senioritis, perfectly timed for her mother Grace to take a Columbian vacation with new boyfriend Kevin. After throwing a vomit-stained house party, June makes it to the airport to retrieve her mother only to discover she's ...

MISSING

Some savvy Gen-Z sleuthing puts June on the case, with minor assistance from the FBI and major help from Javi, a Columbian Task Rabbit with fatherhood issues that make him a helpful ally from a few thousand miles away. 

To go into any more detail of Missing's story would start to give away clues, dead ends, rerouted dead ends, and more. Like Searching, Missing is 'told' entirely from the POV of technology: several laptops, digital security cameras, news footage, Netflix streams, texts, and so on. Real brands are used, making the film a decent marketing tool for various Apple products. Chekhov's Smart Watch is indeed ready for his closeup.

I guess you would refer to Missing as an extended universe sequel to Searching. It follows the same template and even makes reference to the previous film in fairly clever ways. Directors Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick came straight from the editing room of Searching, which makes sense in keeping the style tight. 

I would be thrilled to see the -ing series continue. Missing doesn't quite reach the same heights as Searching, but it's still incredibly watchable. I was occasionally annoyed by some of the plotting, but ultimately, I kept moving closer to the screen to catch all the clues I could find. That's as good a sign of a good mystery as I can fathom. 

High Points

Without a traditional narrative, a movie like Missing desperately needs to find some emotional weight behind its tech-driven storytelling. While I do think June is a bit underwritten, Storm Reid's performance more than makes up for it. She has undeniable charisma that comes through a laptop, and she manages to keep us fully invested every step

Low Points

Missing's power is in its twisty storytelling, so it's quite a shame that the final act has to turn into a rather weak action sequence

Lessons Learned

Kids, I know voicemail isn't cool, but please, for the love of all plot contrivances, do not let that inbox get full

You don't have to use Siri for everything

If you don't want a teenager to be able to hack into every part of your virtual life, do not have a virtual life

Rent/Bury/Buy

Missing didn't thrill me to the same level that Searching did, but it made for a highly entertaining 100 minutes. Find it when you're feeling that very specific computer screen itch.