We start off in an army base somewhere rural, where a group of 20 little girls are detained, locked up most of the time, allowed out to get school-type lessons. They are in solitary confinement and when they go to the lessons, restrained in their wheelchairs, they are led at gunpoint. It soon becomes apparent that these are no ordinary little girls - in fact, maybe not girls at all!
We spend most time following one of them, Melanie, played very well and convincingly by Sennia Nanua. She is very polite and tries to engage with the soldiers around her, who are instructed not to do so, and her teacher, who is more forgiving and sympathetic to the girls' plight. She is inquisitive and clearly very bright - seemingly, to some degree, a little different to the 19 around her.
The teacher, Helen, is played very nicely by Gemma Arterton (Summerland, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, My Zoe) and similarly, the lead soldier, Sgt Parks, by Paddy Considine (Tyrannosaur, The World's End). Helen tries to be more lenient and understanding, as I say, but when she does, the soldiers are at hand to put her in her place. Also in the army camp is a science lab where Dr Caldwell, played by Glenn Close (What Happened to Monday, Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons) is conducting experiments in order to find a vaccination against the zombie-people out there.
Anyway, one day, all hell breaks loose and the zombies, known here as The Hungries, who are constantly trying to get in through the camp's fencing and eat the humans, break through. There is much mayhem, bloodshed, gnashing of flesh and shooting of zombies, generally through their heads! There's a background as to how things have ended up like this which the doctor explains to us, part way in, to do with people's brains being taken over by some fungal infection or other!
The Hungries seem to be able to smell people, so the humans have to blather themselves in some sort of blocking cream to offset the desire! So, following the chaos, a group of our key characters escape in an army truck, including Melanie, the main subject of the doctor's scientific work, so she can carry it on later - into central London so they can get somewhere safe or rescued. You get the idea, by now!
It's actually a really good watch for a low-budget Brit-flick. The CGI scenery is very nicely done, not like a 1970's episode of Dr Who at all, and much thought has gone into building, people, states of decay (following how ever many years it's been), vehicles and so on. There are parts where suspense and eeriness is present, certainly as they have to tip-toe through a mass of The Hungries not making a noise, and it's been very nicely shot with thoughtful lighting to add to the tension. Acting is very good by all and yes, it's a decent-enough yarn to keep one's attention for just under two hours. Available in the UK just now on various streaming services and recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment