The Good Book

24 March 2025

Blu-ray

• Score: 85

Stands alongside Shatterdead as the 2 best microbudget SOV films of the 1990s. Directed by Matthew Giaquinto and co-written by Giaquinto and Barry Gerdsen, the film is a low-budget sci-fi thriller that blends dystopian themes with religious allegory, exploring the intersection of technology, faith, and human survival. Set in a bleak, near-future world, The Good Book envisions a society controlled by the Geographically Viable Control (GVC), a totalitarian organization that has taken over the Internet and forced humanity into an isolated, digital existence. Those who conform live entirely online, never stepping outside, while those who reject this way of life are cast out and left to mutate into grotesque, zombie-like creatures due to the planet’s environmental collapse. Against this dystopian backdrop, the film follows Joseph Cyrus (Brian Campbell), a jaded GVC repairman tasked with maintaining the network that keeps civilization functioning. Joseph’s mundane routine is disrupted when he begins experiencing visions from a mysterious figure claiming to be God (played by Barry Gerdsen), who instructs him to unleash a devastating virus—one that Joseph himself unknowingly created—that could bring down the entire internet and potentially reset the world. The film blends elements of Orwellian paranoia, religious prophecy, and cyberpunk dystopia, drawing comparisons to movies like 1984, The Matrix, and Night of the Living Dead. While its themes are grand and complex, The Good Book remains grounded in character-driven storytelling, particularly through Joseph’s existential crisis. As he grapples with his belief in the divine, the morality of his choices, and the oppressive system that governs his life, the film raises compelling questions about free will, control, and the cost of blind technological dependence. One of the most impressive aspects of The Good Book is its ability to create a richly immersive world despite its micro budget. The film's makeup and special effects—particularly the mutations of the outcasts—are standout, and it earned the Best Makeup Effects award at the 1999 B-Movie Awards. Additionally, Chris Paine’s score adds an eerie, immersive quality to the experience. Despite its creativity and narrative ambition, the Good Book suffers from inconsistent acting and occasional technical shortcomings, particularly in sound design and color grading. It's clearly an idea too big for its budget, however you'll have fun watching the movie try to pull it off anyway. Its unique concept makes it worth rooting for, particularly you're a fans of philosophical sci-fi, cyberpunk thrillers, and subversive, thought-provoking cinema.