A scientist and a teacher living in a dystopian future embark on a journey of survival with a special young girl named Melanie.
I remember seeing the trailer for this a while ago and getting really excited as it looked like my kinda Sunday night indulgence, but I then unprofessionally forgot about it altogether. Luckily for me, the internet has a way of reminding us of what we like—....and if that doesn't scare the shit out of you, nothing will.
This is pretty much as good as zombie flicks get. Our method of infection is a fungal one this time around, which is one I've been waiting to see in action ever since the clips of those poor possessed ants with the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus went viral a few years back.
Poor little guy
The film stars the very talented Sennia Nanua as the lovable, cat consuming Melanie. Her ragtag band of companions includes the talents of Gemma Arterton, Glenn Close, Paddy Considine, and Anthony Welsh.The troupe of misfits is made up of the remnants of a military medical facility that was attempting to figure out a cure for the epidemic that has devastated the UK and presumably the rest of the planet.
Like many films in this genre, this is but a snippet of a much larger, darker backdrop. Not much information is given as to the actual details of when and how the world fell apart, but from the state of the buildings, cars, and general scenery, we can safely presume it's been a good long while. A lot of the footage for the second half of the movie was actually shot in the town of Prypjat, near Chernobyl, giving the film its authentic apocalyptic visuals.
The score is definitely not something you notice off the bat, but the amorphous soundtrack by Cristobal Tapia de Veer is both oppressive and atmospheric in equal measure, merging well within the dystopian narrative.
As for the film itself, whilst it is most definitely a horror, it really doubles as something quite hard to classify. It's actually quite…pretty? It's sentimental, touching, philosophic and sad all while managing to stay tense and exciting. The feel of the film is something similar to that of Monsters (2010), if only in the way that the element of horror in the movie seems to give way to something that can be appreciated for its beauty. It's not only a good horror film, it's a great movie. Full stars from me. Catch the trailer below and let us know your opinions in the comments.
