my brief thoughts on.... 'Mutants' (2009)

i've been a cheerleader of French horror films for quite some time now and for good reason.... they've proven that we're not necessarily on the top of the food chain here in America.... i never thought that i would look elsewhere for high quality scares, but i can't ignore what the French have produced and in many circles it could even be called art.... therefore, anytime i hear of a new film being made in France my mouth starts to water.... somehow 'Mutants' slipped under my radar though.... and i stumbled upon it totally by accident.... it kinds of ticks me off that i took so long to find this.... it's the perfect set up for a flim for me.... mutant/zombie type creatures running around in a semi-post-apocylapic world and people fighting to survive.... it's the perfect combination for me.... my bread and butter of horror films.... that's why it bothered me to have missed out on this one for so long.... i can't say that i recognized anyone in this film.... from the director all the way down.... everyone was unfamiliar.... i think that kind of lends itself to a better moviegoing experience.... so the question is: was this worth all buildup and waiting....? well, let's find out.

as mentioned just sentences ago, this film is set in a semi-post-apocalyptic world where a zombie/mutant/virus has broken out and much of the population has turned into monsters.... the few who've survived are scavengers and are fighting for their lives.... 'Mutants' focuses on a couple, one who is pregnant and a survivor of a bite from a creature and is trying to get her blood out to provide a cure.... the father of her child is with her, but has been bitten and is slowly starting to turn into one of the creatures.... they take refuge in an abandoned hospital and try and hold out for help from the army.... most of the film is a waiting game, but soon strangers show up and upset the balance.... and as the man is losing his fight, the woman must decide whether to put him out of his misery or hope for help and a cure....?
honestly, i had to watch this twice.... i was so exhausted the first go around, that i had to stop it because i didn't want to fall asleep.... in hindsight, i'm glad i made that decision.... the second time around i was able to fully focus on the storyline and enjoy it.... this is not the best French horror film i've seen this year, but it's still quite a bit better than most of the other horror movies i've watched, American or otherwise.... it is shot beautifullyand the creature effects are superb.... the sets and locations are amazing and it has a strong beginning, middle and end.... if anything i could say that's bad about this....? it's that it does slow down a bit too much in the 2nd act.... if you're not 100% committed to the viewing experience than you may lose interest.... but if you can hold on, you will be satisfied by the end.... this is a one off film in my opinion.... it would lessen it to make a sequel.... i can't say that i'll own this one, unless i find a really good deal on it someday.... however, i am glad that it finally found it's way into my DVD player so i could enjoy a short trip from reality.... i gave it a 3 out of 5 star reception and wonder if it might get better with repeated viewings....? it is only available to rent at this time.... i think that it's worth it.... just be well rested before you settle in for this dark little gem.

if you like this, also see: 'La Horde aka The Horde', '28 Days Later' and '[REC]'

my brief thoughts on.... '2012'

Roland Emmerich is all about things that are BIG.... the majority of his movies over the last decade have all been over the top disaster movies or monster movies.... complete with huge explosions and big time special effects.... but not a whole lot otherwise.... so when i sat down to watch this, i was expecting more of the same.... granted, i enjoyed 'The Day After Tomorrow'.... this one was very similar to that, but on a MUCH bigger scale.... MUCH bigger.... hell, this was the end of the world....! and for some reason John Cusack has the amazing ability to survive it.... (or so it would seem.... i don't want to give away the end.)....

as we all know, supposedly the Mayan's predict the end of the world in 2012.... and that's the whole premise of this movie.... although they put some movie science behind it.... and give it a rhyme an and a reason.... it's still the end of the world.... and the governement has been given a 3 year warning by scientists to come up with a plan to save who they can.... and we see this slowly come together, but don't 100% know the true plan until we reach almost the end of the movie.... during the course of all of this, we have the subplot of several other characters who we're supposed to relate to so we have a tie into the story.... soon all hell breaks loose and the special effects guys take over....
this movie isn't the worst thing i've ever seen.... it was entertaining.... it gave you the goods effects wise.... the story was simple and easy to follow.... it's not going to go down in history as a classic of American cinema or anything.... but i felt that 3 out of 5 stars was a fair rating.... it's a big budget popcorn movie.... and something that would be fun to watch in the theater.... but anything more than a 2 and a half hour puff piece would be giving it too much credit.... watch if you want to.... however, i would necessarily recommend it.

if you like this, some other Roland Emmerich films: 'The Day After Tomorrow', '10,000 B.C.' and 'Godzilla' (1998)