Island Zero

The opening scene of Island Zero was so needless, no senseless I almost turned the film off. I know that type of scene is a common trope of the genre but the way it was done was just plain cruel and seriously damaged the film for me.

Once I got past that I found myself gripped, really gripped in fact! This was a fascinating little film.

It tells the story of a small obscure island and its inhabitants that become concerned when the ferry stops turning up. As they find themselves forced to ration, running out of fuel and unable to reach the mainland the real threat emerges.

I really enjoyed Island Zero it's an example of what can be done with a minimal budget, a few cut away deaths, carefully done sfx and apparently even the costumes came from a local charity shop!

Great character development, a very tense plot and great concept. I genuinely was fascinated by the whole thing but the beginning and end took what should have been something incredible and made it passable.

I would recommend this regardless as the bulk of the film is fantastic on every level.

The featured review at time of writing this refers to the movie as "Liberal Propaganda", another person who doesn't understand the meaning of the word. A film that features global warming is not propaganda, a movie that acknowledges that guns serve the single purpose of killing is not propaganda. Just because it doesn't follow your narrow intellectually limited mindset does not make something propaganda and displays overwhelming ignorance.

Anyway I digress, solid film ruined by marginal stupidity.

The Good:

Excellent plot

Very well crafted

Good character development

The Bad:

Lack of budget shows in places

Opening sequence is beyond cruel

Finale should have been better

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

If you find a bloody unexplained mess, it makes no sense to tell people about it

Goverment officials have super mega powered batteries that last longer than all others

When right wing people are even getting offended by horror movies they need to stop calling others snowflakes

Island Zero is a film with a clever idea that is reasonably original that's constrained by an obviously limited budget.

The story line mixes an aquatic terror concept with issues of climate change that works quite well and is intelligently executed. The acting is mixed but at its best certainly decent and by no means a "reading off score card" moment you see from some films with a limited budget and casting choices.

Regrettably though the lack of funding shows through in the nominal and rather mediocre special/creatures effects. Given the emphasis of this film too decent special effects are important and their absence is sorely missed.

Had this film had more $$ to amp up the horror quotient I think it could have really been quite good. As it stands, moderately watchable but also anti climatic. 5/10 from me.

Sometimes a low budget boosts the scares in a horror movie. The director is forced to work with what she/he has. In this case the acting and dialog is pretty awful. The humble use of blood and gore is accentuated as fake as a result. If the characters spent more time together embracing the material, it might have fared better. As it is, the lines seem forced and there isn't much to grab on to here.

Having said that, this is a horror film we have been given in 2018. Since it was a scant year for our genre, this one is worth watching. There are a few moments that thrill and chill so you won't be completely let down.

Was drawn into seeing 'Island Zero' with a cool poster/cover, a very intriguing and creative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for the genre. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive.

'Island Zero' is a film it doesn't do enough with its potential (although there are far bigger wastes of potential in film) and could have been much better, can't say that it is a great film because it isn't. It is not a terrible film though, as far as recent low-budget film viewings go it's better than most but with good things. It certainly could have been far worse, considering the large number of films seen recently being mediocre at best and irredeemably terrible at worst.

Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky and 'Island Zero' is surprisingly well shot considering the budget. The music is ominous.

Found that the acting was not bad, while not award-worthy it was not amateurish and it seemed like the actors were trying to engage. The direction has assured parts.

Also that there were a few nice moments that intrigued and there was some suspense, frightening horror and unsettlement, the first portion is promising.

The suspense and unsettlement doesn't come consistently however, with the second half not having enough of either. What stops them from being frequent and stronger is an at times deadly dull pace with too many overlong scenes of little going on, not all necessary either and there for padding mainly, and also a structure that is not as cohesive or clear as it could have been. The less suspense and sense of horror there is, the more senseless and ridiculous it gets, the ending is ludicrous. Part of me felt it could have been more claustrophobic with the close-knit setting and community, some of the film feels too safe and restrained for such a dire situation.

'Island Zero's' idea was great but the content didn't always feel enough for a feature film. It feels more like a short film over-stretched at times. The over-stretched sense is present too in a rushed-first-draft-stage and talky script and a pace that goes overkill on the slow burning. With a pace and structure that fails to compel it is very difficult to ignore.

Characters have very little to them, while the budget limitations show in the editing, which is careless at times, and especially the effects, which look afterthought-like.

Overall, not an easy film to rate or review. Not awful, not much to get excited about. 5/10 Bethany Cox

A group of people living on a small island in New England find themselves cut off from the mainland,no ferry,no supplies,no power,no internet. At first,the obvious limitations of the budget was a little worrying,but the cast,the story,and the writing really made up for it,and I found myself absorbed in the lives of these people,and the lurking horror out of sight. The first 45 minutes are very effective,and I do wish they had stuck to this instead of the later attempts at sci-fi action,which is rarely possible on such a small budget. There are a few bits of gore,which seemed to be the wrong color to me,next time up the red and shiny! The second half was OK, and with a larger budget I could see this movie doing very well,I really liked the setup and the atmosphere and paranoia of the first half was very well done indeed. So,a mixed bag,I was hoping that the apocalyptic Lovecraftian feel of the first half would continue through the whole film,perhaps the filmmakers would go that route on another movie? Because there's lots of promise here,a damn fine effort. The doctor's identity drove me nuts,until I realized she was in Planes Trains and Automobiles!! She was fantastic,a great character,I liked the film and would watch it again.