Remnants

I love zombie movies because even low-budget ones can sometimes be real gems. Unfortunately, "Remnants" isn't one of them. I decided to watch it because it won an award at a film festival, and the reviews were quite positive. While I don't regret watching it, the film didn't live up to my expectations.

The storyline in "Remnants" is pretty typical for a zombie movie. It follows three post-apocalyptic survivors as they head north in search of a safer place. However, most of the movie takes place in just one location. This was a bit boring and disappointing because it's a relatively safe place with plenty of supplies, and we barely see any zombies.

The cast is quite good, and their acting was solid. Still, I wished the movie had more action, as very little happens throughout the film. At one point, two colorful and unique side characters are introduced, but their roles are minimal. I was hoping for something interesting to develop between them and the main characters, but it didn't.

The biggest letdown was the ending, which felt abrupt and didn't make much sense. It was like the director ran out of time and had to wrap it up quickly. "Remnants" runs for 95 minutes, but I think another 5 or 10 minutes could have helped wrap up the story in a more meaningful way, especially since not much happened, and there wasn't a clear plot.

In the end, I gave it three stars, which I think is fair compared to other zombie movies out there.

Raw.

That's the first word that came to my mind when I finished watching this film.

The characters feel like they were ripped right out of a great author's pages, allowing the actors to really demonstrate what kind of tolls being on the run in a post-apocalyptic world where every day life comes face to face with obstacles can have on someone.

Not just physically, but mentally, too.

Of course, like any good movie, the cinematography is incredible and the dialogue is funny, but what truly stood out about the film to me was how earnest the performances were when their characters were struggling to open up about their past traumas.

I highly recommend giving it a complete watch!

This was a great film, because it's raw, feels real and doesn't follow the zombie movie playbook. It jumps right into the story without explanation and, if you pay attention, you can learn everything you need to know about the universe along the way. I liked that, because it kept me on my feet and wanting to know more.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the cinematography. Some of the b-roll of the beach landscapes is gorgeous. The director lived on the beach and shot a lot of the b-roll once conditions were just right. Shot compositions in the whole were out of the box and at times daring.

You almost don't notice that the film was shot for less than $100k. Pretty impressive, considering.

Father and son movie night ruined. I am absolutely flabbergasted by how many people gave such a positive view for this movie. Glad some people enjoyed. There was nothing about this film that was like "The Walking Dead". Even though my subtitle says "Biggest waste of my time" I was able to find the time to do my Duolingo for the day. That gives you any example of how boring the movie was. It was very slow and some scenes were drug out too long. Some scenes were irrelevant to the "plot" of the film. Also, my dad fell asleep. I saw that this film took 8 years to make and maybe should have spent more money of props and details. I liked the concept idea of the film, but it was poorly put together. I've seen better post-apocalyptic themed movies before, but this one was just not well developed.

This is a gem. Despite it being written in 2014, it still does a lot of unique things for the genre. Sure, there are some similarities between The Walking Dead and The Last of Us, but that can't be avoided in an infected/apocalyptic film at this point.

You can definitely see why it won awards at so many festivals, it's artsy, a bit sad, but still has some great moments for action fans. The last 15 minutes are a wild ride, non-stop. If you like a film that really explores the characters, which are idiosyncratic and complex, then you'll especially enjoy this. This film really explores the human condition and depicts universal struggles we all have with connecting with others, processing traumas and finding meaning in what can often be a cruel world. It's only 90 minutes, worth a full watch through.