The Human Race

The Human Race is not that bad at all, yes it's got it's faults but is an interesting movie, that pits completely random people against each other in a bid to find the most resilient. The ending came as another supprise to me, and actually left me wanting more. Give it a try then decide for yourself, but definitely don't believe the extreme low ratings some have given.

A group of people are taken from their known existence and taken to a remote location they are unaware of. The lot are from all walks of life; young, old, disabled, athletic, rich and poor, of all nationalities. Confused and afraid, these 80 people will be unwilling participants will strive for the one goal evolution teaches us: survival of the fittest.

This movie is on an epic scale and worthy of a comparison to the movie Battle Royal. Not for the faint of heart, you get a realization of what a human being will do when reduced from its modern conveniences and put in a state where primal urges rule. Paul Hough did not spare any expense and reveals to the audience the difference between survival and salvation. The well rounded cast played their roles well from the injured and compassionate vet to the bloodthirsty hot chick who cares only for herself. The story is unconventional and told in a brilliant way which separates it from most independent horror stories into a class all on its own.

It s slasher that's a thriller and leaves plenty of room for the psychological betrayal of the audience. It all makes for a great story; seeing both ends of the spectrum of the human condition. The intense plot twists will keep the audience craving for more. The performance and chemistry between Eddie McGee and Paul McCarthy-Boyington were top notch, drawing me in for what's to come for these two brothers against the hordes.

I know there are a lot of reviews on here that magnify the negative points in this film. So, to get some stuff out of the way, the acting and sets used in this film are awful. Pure terrible. Additionally, the start of the film is awfully jarring.

However, there are some really interesting ideas to be found here. I wont be giving anything away by saying that there are two deaf characters in this film. The way the film makers have used these two characters sign conversations are quite clever, I don't think I have seen an interaction like this before (but then I am fairly ignorant).

The development of the characters as individuals is also done in timed manner. I don't think there was a moment in the film where I asked myself "what about so and so...".

I am not sure that this is the right format for the material though. As I was watching, I felt that it could have been better conveyed as a mini series etc.

Essentially, if you don't mind losing an hour and a half out of your life and want to see something different, give it a watch.

Here is another film that takes the idea of Battle Royale or Hunger Games and tries to spin its own twist on things. Here the twist is running to survive, keep off the grass and don't get lapped. This premise wasn't too bad, but while the previous films I mentioned are all set in reality, this one takes a step back from reality with the people being magically transported to this running location (which still looks like an average neighbourhood location), you spend the film wondering, is it magic, is it supernatural, is it alien, do I really care? And why if the powers behind this race had such ability would they choose all the people from a small city block area rather than individuals from a variety of places? And why this area specifically? The cast are passable, and the writing definitely attempts to give depth and diversity to the characters, but there are as many bad characters as good which leaves you struggling to relate to most of them. Apparently the film was made of many years and perhaps this is why it feels a bit disjointed and lacks a cohesive flow. It's not terrible but it would definitely be very low on your watch list and there are much better films you could be seeing.

I am actually going to give this film a 6.5 and the reason why is because yes it was made on a small budget but to be honest its original.

the acting is not as bad as some are saying or some I have seen.

To give it a three would not be fair but i can see where a previous post did this in order to try to make the rating more realistic. I think about 6.7 maybe.

Don't shun it it has a decent share of blood and a couple of deaths were pretty good.

Give it a chance is all you need to do. The start was enough to make me sit and watch it and I thought it was OK.

Final thought....... Give it a chance scifi/horror fans.