MUTANTS opens interestingly enough with scenes of confusion and what looks like the makings of a visceral horror experience. There is a tense scene with tense music as well as some interesting visuals. That takes us about 5 minutes into the film after which time MUTANTS devolves into an annoyingly uninteresting crap-fest.
We think that the black female soldier is going to be a protagonist through the movie until she is KILLED by the other female protagonist in one of the most ridiculous 2 minutes of story-line that I have witnessed in some time. Oh, and I wonder if you'll find yourself saying - "Uhhh...is that a dude or a woman?" - when you first see the soldier. I didn't know it was a woman until the word "she" was used to describe her.
But I digress. What develops is a classic "Army vs. Scientists/Doctors theme. Obviously, as is almost always portrayed, the army personnel are going to come off as irrational and ruthless while the scientists are portrayed as compassionate and patient. Sonia, as an emergency medical technician, pushes the envelope of compassion into the realm of stupidity.
The scenario by which the autistic boy precipitates the fallout between the soldier and Sonia and Marco is wholly implausible. The soldier shoots the kid at virtually point-blank range with an assault weapon numerous times. You'd think that at least one round would exit the boy and strike Marco. But no. It's a minor miracle.
You'd also think they'd be in survival mode - ALL OF THEM, not just the soldier. I can understand paranoia and turning on the one you don't trust, but turning on the strongest member of the party at that particular moment just seemed counter-intuitive.
Morley doesn't try to develop much foreboding or dread. You know, the stuff that makes a horror movie scary! But I guess you work with what you've got: a bad story, fairly bad actors, and a bad script.
All they are left with to try to elevate this film is the relationship between Sonia and Marco. Now we're looking at something straight out of "Dawn of the Dead" or "I, Zombie", or "The Return of the Living Dead".
This relationship is pretty much the only element of the film that may make you try to understand what you're seeing. And, for all I know, I made up half of this character analysis because I wanted so badly to find something with merit in MUTANTS. At any rate, to summarize:
Sonia being so trusting of Marco during his obvious infection and transformation seems to signal that she has already given up in a way. I understand that she too was bit and did not transform BUT Marco's hair is falling out, he's vomiting blood, and his teeth are coming loose. Did any of these things happen to her? Marco is the only one who seems to be convinced of his fate as he is the one experiencing the painful transformation. Sonia, on the other hand, is in denial.
Maybe the message is that sometimes HOPE is a dangerous and cruel thing. She selfishly dangles hope in front of Marco's eyes by saying she is proof that he may be OK when she has no idea if this is true. She doesn't even know for certain if she will eventually transform herself. But, she allows Marco's suffering out of desperate love for him. He who is the father of her unborn child and the last recognizable trace of normalcy left in her world. She allows both of them to be tortured by waiting on the infinitely small chance that he will be immune. Marco wants to die and Sonia's behavior is tantamount to suicide. Love in despair is dangerous love. She even resists euthanizing him and ends up locking him in a cage, where he eventually transforms. I suppose this is a manifestation of her inability to let go or, perhaps, an attempt to control something in her environment (a caged animal).
Things get promising when the other survivors show up. But this novelty quickly wears off due to more ridiculous plot development. Such as the dude with the machete - who lets the first mutant that attacks him in the cave bum-rush him from like 20 feet off. DUDE, you have a MACHETE! Or Frank, who throws the smoke grenade - which was effective - but then doesn't use it to his advantage and allows himself to be killed by a mutant who stares him down for a good 5 seconds before going for the kill. I suppose Frank forgot he had a gun.
Eventually I'm saying to myself, "This s--t is just dumb." Sonia won't attempt to kill the now completely mutant-Marco when she has an easy shot BUT after he chases her and tries to kill her THEN she shoots. Why not just let him kill ya sister?
Oh - she unceremoniously kills him with a lead pipe after he is snagged in the barbed wire. How humane. This was all worth it.
I am laughing my a-- off during this part.
And then..... THE CAVALRY ARRIVES! NOAH (Noah's Ark...I get it...) mows down the bad guys!
What is up with this mediocre, Hollywood-esque, FRENCH HORROR FILM???? I mean...whyyyyyyyyyyy did David Morley do this? Does he not know that he is soiling an otherwise magnificent tradition?
In the end, you can't even call MUTANTS a horror movie - it plays more like an action-flick. It's not terrifying and when the mutants catch you they head-butt you. MUTANTS suffers from weak story-line, character development, and dialogue. And in turn, we all suffer too.
So watch this if you want. But my suggestion is to order a couple of pizzas and watch 28 Days Later, Aliens, and Dawn of the Dead (1978) instead.
We think that the black female soldier is going to be a protagonist through the movie until she is KILLED by the other female protagonist in one of the most ridiculous 2 minutes of story-line that I have witnessed in some time. Oh, and I wonder if you'll find yourself saying - "Uhhh...is that a dude or a woman?" - when you first see the soldier. I didn't know it was a woman until the word "she" was used to describe her.
But I digress. What develops is a classic "Army vs. Scientists/Doctors theme. Obviously, as is almost always portrayed, the army personnel are going to come off as irrational and ruthless while the scientists are portrayed as compassionate and patient. Sonia, as an emergency medical technician, pushes the envelope of compassion into the realm of stupidity.
The scenario by which the autistic boy precipitates the fallout between the soldier and Sonia and Marco is wholly implausible. The soldier shoots the kid at virtually point-blank range with an assault weapon numerous times. You'd think that at least one round would exit the boy and strike Marco. But no. It's a minor miracle.
You'd also think they'd be in survival mode - ALL OF THEM, not just the soldier. I can understand paranoia and turning on the one you don't trust, but turning on the strongest member of the party at that particular moment just seemed counter-intuitive.
Morley doesn't try to develop much foreboding or dread. You know, the stuff that makes a horror movie scary! But I guess you work with what you've got: a bad story, fairly bad actors, and a bad script.
All they are left with to try to elevate this film is the relationship between Sonia and Marco. Now we're looking at something straight out of "Dawn of the Dead" or "I, Zombie", or "The Return of the Living Dead".
This relationship is pretty much the only element of the film that may make you try to understand what you're seeing. And, for all I know, I made up half of this character analysis because I wanted so badly to find something with merit in MUTANTS. At any rate, to summarize:
Sonia being so trusting of Marco during his obvious infection and transformation seems to signal that she has already given up in a way. I understand that she too was bit and did not transform BUT Marco's hair is falling out, he's vomiting blood, and his teeth are coming loose. Did any of these things happen to her? Marco is the only one who seems to be convinced of his fate as he is the one experiencing the painful transformation. Sonia, on the other hand, is in denial.
Maybe the message is that sometimes HOPE is a dangerous and cruel thing. She selfishly dangles hope in front of Marco's eyes by saying she is proof that he may be OK when she has no idea if this is true. She doesn't even know for certain if she will eventually transform herself. But, she allows Marco's suffering out of desperate love for him. He who is the father of her unborn child and the last recognizable trace of normalcy left in her world. She allows both of them to be tortured by waiting on the infinitely small chance that he will be immune. Marco wants to die and Sonia's behavior is tantamount to suicide. Love in despair is dangerous love. She even resists euthanizing him and ends up locking him in a cage, where he eventually transforms. I suppose this is a manifestation of her inability to let go or, perhaps, an attempt to control something in her environment (a caged animal).
Things get promising when the other survivors show up. But this novelty quickly wears off due to more ridiculous plot development. Such as the dude with the machete - who lets the first mutant that attacks him in the cave bum-rush him from like 20 feet off. DUDE, you have a MACHETE! Or Frank, who throws the smoke grenade - which was effective - but then doesn't use it to his advantage and allows himself to be killed by a mutant who stares him down for a good 5 seconds before going for the kill. I suppose Frank forgot he had a gun.
Eventually I'm saying to myself, "This s--t is just dumb." Sonia won't attempt to kill the now completely mutant-Marco when she has an easy shot BUT after he chases her and tries to kill her THEN she shoots. Why not just let him kill ya sister?
Oh - she unceremoniously kills him with a lead pipe after he is snagged in the barbed wire. How humane. This was all worth it.
I am laughing my a-- off during this part.
And then..... THE CAVALRY ARRIVES! NOAH (Noah's Ark...I get it...) mows down the bad guys!
What is up with this mediocre, Hollywood-esque, FRENCH HORROR FILM???? I mean...whyyyyyyyyyyy did David Morley do this? Does he not know that he is soiling an otherwise magnificent tradition?
In the end, you can't even call MUTANTS a horror movie - it plays more like an action-flick. It's not terrifying and when the mutants catch you they head-butt you. MUTANTS suffers from weak story-line, character development, and dialogue. And in turn, we all suffer too.
So watch this if you want. But my suggestion is to order a couple of pizzas and watch 28 Days Later, Aliens, and Dawn of the Dead (1978) instead.