A zombie movie that I had somehow missed? Needless to say that when the opportunity to watch the 2020 movie titled "The Clearing" here in 2021 then I jumped at the chance to sit down to watch it.
And while this movie definitely is watchable, it is ultimately just another zombie movie. Sadly so, but that is the truth. "The Clearing" from writer and director David Matalon just didn't revolutionize the zombie genre, nor did it bring anything that hadn't already been seen before.
Sure, I enjoyed the setting and environment of the movie. I mean, the concept of someone being away from civilization and just casually brushing off news bulletins of outbreaks of random violence and such, that was definitely interesting. But it was hardly something new to the zombie genre.
But of course, as is the way to go about it in 99% of all zombie movies, there was no explanation to the outbreak, what caused it and how did it manage to get to that remote area so quickly?
It should be said that if you enjoyed movies like "28 Days Later", then chances are high that you will most certainly also like "The Clearing". And don't get me wrong here, "The Clearing" is not a bad movie, it just caved in on all the tropes and archetypical presentations and angles of the zombie genre.
Personally I don't enjoy fast and agile zombies, and when they can run and jump, then it starts to get to the point where I am ready to get off the bus. Sure, I can understand why newly turned victims would be agile as rigor mortis haven't yet set in, but for me it just doesn't work as well with having zombies running and especially not jumping or being able to use choreographed fighting.
Visually then "The Clearing" was actually good enough. It wasn't the usual horrible low budget zombie make-up with faces painted gray and the rest of the body left to its normal skin tone. Nay, "The Clearing" actually had some good special effects and adequate amounts of gore. At least it was enough to keep a seasoned gorehound as myself content.
The acting in the movie was actually good for this type of movie. Sure, it wasn't award-winning performances, but the lead actor - Liam McIntyre - actually carried the movie quite well with his convincing performance. The movie has a very small cast, so there was more of a pressure to deliver on the leads. And they did manage that well enough.
Now, I must address the storyline, because it was a very simplistic storyline that was present in "The Clearing". Nay, I will say that it was actually also a weak and nearly non-existing storyline. I mean, everything took place at a campsite, with the protagonist being either trapped on the roof or locked inside their camping unit. So if you are looking for a zombie movie with a deeper and more profound plot and script, perhaps with some jabs at society like Romero did, then "The Clearing" will leave you wanting for more, that's for sure.
Ultimately "The Clearing" fell into being a stereotypical zombie movie. It was watchable, for sure, but it just failed to stand out in the vast ocean of zombie movies exactly like it. As such, my rating of "The Clearing" lands on a very mediocre five out of ten stars.
