Science fiction doesn’t need a huge budget, spaceships or out-of-this-world visual effects, so proves Coherence, one of 2014’s best movies. About a group of friends who, during a blackout, discover that something very strange is happening, Coherence is extremely entertaining.

Starring a bunch of people you’ve never heard of and featuring a set that primarily consists of a dinner table, a living room and a driveway, Coherence relies heavily on the crafty direction by James Ward Byrkit. Byrkit, who also wrote the screenplay in coordination with Alex Manugian, makes the most of what he has at his disposal, the result being a smart, twisty and mindbending thriller.

Coherence is one of those movies that works best when you know nothing about it going in, and for that reason I am not going to explain what exactly the movie is about. But if you like stories where time and reality are not seen as constants, Coherence may be for you.

The film is almost exclusively dialogue based, and while the acting isn’t amazing, the cast members do a good job. The film only struggles slightly in the middle act as you just have to accept with a movie like this that there will be a scene or two where the characters are going to argue back and forth as to what the best course of action is--Coherence isn’t the first movie where character arguments and decisions don’t seem the most realistic.

While not perfect, Coherence is a refreshingly smart and entertaining thriller that is definitely worth seeing.

Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.