jaym Reviews

Dark Rising (2007 Video)

Good old-fashioned fun

[8/10 · 4 November 2009]

I didn't know what to expect when I began watching this and was a little unsure for the first fifteen minutes or so. But then I relaxed into it and went along for the ride. I'm glad I did. Dark Rising is a fun little movie- sure the effects are on the cheap side but by sticking to proper FX for the most part instead of CGI they work. It also helps that the bare-bones plot keeps moving along and that the main actors in the cast are more than adequate. Unlike your average low budget production these guys and gals can act- and while no Oscars are going to be handed out any time soon, their personalities carry the film along. There's something likable about all the main figures. If I were in the horror film business I wouldn't hesitate to hire any of the main cast off the back of this.

This isn't a production to be taken seriously- just sit back, relax and enjoy the show. This is just a fun film. The script is nicely paced, the direction is better than average for this kind of movie and the cast all earned their pay-cheques. I can see this picking up a bit of a cult following. I for one will be looking out for more features from the director and main cast.

Here's hoping we do eventually get to see a sequel.

The Vanguard (2008)

A great character lost in a confused film

[4/10 · 1 October 2008]

I really wanted to like this film- zombies and post-apocalyptic scenarios are precisely what I want to see on screen. It started out well. I liked Max- even his hand axes and chopper bike. The initial combat scenes were well put together, Max has a forceful and direct fighting style and Ray Bullock Jr delivers a tremendous physical performance. He could have carried the whole thing on his own. In fact, this could have been a terrific film even with its limited budget.

However, as the film progressed the plot meandered and lost focus. It seemed to me that the writer was more concerned about making a political point (something along the lines of the evil Corporation inventing the threat of jihadist violence to keep the people at home distracted) than in actually creating a coherent story. Essentially it boils down to this- the evil Corp. wants to cull humanity but the scientists tasked with doing so have a change of heart and instead deliver a drug which turns people into savage, mindlessly killing zombies.

I still haven't figured out how that is supposed to make sense.

To add to the mix we have a rogue soldier who wants Max for his own mysterious goal, an escaping scientist who is trying to reach the resistance, an Arab figure sent to find Max from halfway around the world for some reason and the usual "evolving zombies" stuff. None of it ever comes to fruition after a lengthy journey. It's as if they just forgot about all of the plot lines they'd created. It's frustrating that all of it is dumped- it seems like an utter waste of the entire middle section of the film. Instead of an actual ending to the story the film concludes by having the zombies and the lead acting completely out of character.

And that makes even less sense than the "we don't want to kill people so we'll change them into mass-murdering zombies instead".

It's a real shame because the Max character deserves a much better film than this one.