Alive - Movie Review

 

"Alive"

Movie Review

 

Written and directed by David Marantz, "Alive" stars Ellen Hillman, Kian Pritchard, Neil Sheffield, and Stuart Matthews and is about Helen's journey into a ruined world with her boyfriend Kevin and little brother Barney. Desperate to find help after Barney's infection slowly turns him into a zombie, they come across a house where Dan lives, a man hiding a heavy secret.

Dan plays Neil Sheffield, and now we see him fishing his way home, fetching water from the stream, and feeding him something in the attic. Elsewhere, Miss Horton, played by Simone McIntyre, tries to reach a safe settlement on a coastal island. Along with her is Helen played by Ellen Hillman and her boyfriend Kevin by Kian Pritchard. There is also Helen's younger brother, Barney, who is bitten but resists turning as long as he is fed raw meat.

The film quickly goes to the countryside as the plot matches its budget. The kids get separated from their teacher and, you guessed it, Dan runs across. There’s also a group of survivors led by Father Albert played by Stuart Matthews who may pose a bigger threat than the walking dead.

David Marantz clearly made Alive for nothing. The burning building scene has really cool CGI smoke effects and the police vs zombie battle involve three or four cops and six or seven zombies. It's a shame because the building plays no role in the plot and could have been cut once we saw how bad it was. The fight scene would have worked if only a few friends and family could talk about playing zombies.

Fortunately, beyond those two scenes, the filmmakers have matched their aspirations to their budgets. It's easy because Alive focuses on human-to-human issues rather than zombie attacks. It has been some successes and failures in this department. While it's treated as a mystery, the mystery of what's in Dan's attic isn't just clichéd, it's pretty obvious. On the other hand, the cult-turned-Father Albert makes nasty opponents, especially after revealing their plans to Helen.

The real problem is that Alive hasn't proven that the zombies themselves are a threat. But what really works is the ending, which goes to a place I really didn't expect. It's a strange and hopeful ending that questions the standard notion of what counts as a monster and makes up for the film's many other shortcomings. For a low-budget film shot on weekends and during the covid lockdown, Alive looks good and has many good moments. It has some rough spots, but it cuts through and provides precise action and a solid finish.

WATCH THE REVIEW VIDEO FOR MORE...