(2002)
Dir - Danny Boyle
Overall: MEH
Commercially successful as well as influential, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland's collaboration 28 Days Later significantly contributed to the rise of zombie films in the 21st century. While the ensuing trend of ravenous, running corpses in a post apocalyptic setting would quickly give way to over-saturation, this particular entry was at least exciting if still narratively flawed. Each act delivers diminishing results, as it starts off promising with some impressive, desolate footage of London and a small crop of characters garnishing a little hope for themselves. Unfortunately, things fall apart just past the halfway point once the small, crazed military operation resorts to repopulating the human species via raping women within only after a handful of weeks since the outbreak. This odious and nihilistic turn of events stops the momentum in its tracks instead of upping the tension as was intended. Since the "people killing people" motif fails to say anything profound and merely further slams home the tired cliche that humanity resorts to lawless barbarism at its earliest opportunity, it all just becomes another nasty, impatiently edited action movie.
(2008)
Dir - Matthias Hoene
Overall: MEH
Originally appearing as a set of web serials on MySpace, Beyond the Rave was the official first production for the newly relaunched Hammer Films. Choosing such a medium to reintroduce the famed company seems like a rather daft choice in some respects, but the movie itself hardly reinforces the Gothic horror motifs of yesteryear. In fact it is rather aggressively contemporary. As the title would suggest, the story revolves around an underground rave which is put on by vampires to harvest the blood from a large crop of drugged-up, foul-mouthed twenty-somethings, plus the gritty, music video presentation clearly demonstrates that Hammer has no interest in delivering anything of a throwback variety. Even the one linking element to their old catalog is missing as Ingrid Pitt shot a scene that was axed from the final product. Sadie Frost does make an appearance at least in a non-speaking blood-sucker role though why they bothered to include her besides appeasing Bram Stoker's Dracula fans for about a minute and a half is anyone's guess. The nauseating editing, awful, handheld camerawork, and piss-poor cinematography make it a rather frustrating viewing experience to say the least. There are a couple of camp-worthy moments that are fun, but once one sees past the novelty value, it does not have much else to offer.
(2009)
Dir - Christopher Smith
Overall: GOOD
British writer/director Christopher Smith delivered a satisfying, straight psychological horror film in the truest sense with Triangle, his third full-length. Non-linear storytelling usually means simply jumbling up scenes out of sequence, yet Smith takes a more ambitious route here that steers away from being pretentious and instead reveals the necessary details while leaving the audience properly engaged along the way. After an initial set-up which already presents Melissa George's character as being mysteriously aloof, the basic concept takes a page out of the 1980 crud rock Death Ship. Here though, the premise of an eerily deserted ocean liner is utilized to represent a sort of disturbed limbo that may offer either redemption or a perpetual curse upon those who board it. Wisely, nothing is arbitrarily cryptic or genre-pandering in such a context as Smith trusts both his intriguing premise and his audience enough to reach a finish line that stays ambiguous while clearing up every loose end that needs to be cleared up. George is also quite excellent in the lead, which is a good thing as the story exclusively focuses on her struggles with motherhood and desperation in surviving for her son.
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