Uncontained

Living in the wilderness, a man trying to protect his children from a horde of creatures roaming the area that have been reduced to a rabid, feral state is forced to stay at their house until their family arrives, which proves quite troublesome when various dangers threaten their chances.

This was a fairly enjoyable if somewhat flawed zombie effort. Among the better elements of this one is the immensely solid and overly fun setup that provides a rather intriguing take on the post-apocalyptic zombie survivor tale. Dropped into this one with the idea of the deadly outbreak having already struck society and forced mankind into pockets of survivors living in the snowy wilderness where they learn to fend for themselves all creates a strong starting point for this kind of genre effort. The focus on this one detailing the day-to-day life of the surviving kids as the guy arrives and tries to survive that includes him dealing with the intricate moments around the house taking care of the kids, keeping the property safe, and ensuring the creatures are unable to get to them which is a wholly unique touch to add to a zombie apocalypse. On top of that, there's a wholly intriguing touch here with the family dynamics being introduced with the arrival of the parent into the nix so that the interplay between the kids and the hunter gets another adult to work off of so everything makes for a generally fun time. That said, this one does have a couple of big issues with it. The main element with this one is the immensely underwhelming and general lack of action in this one. Even though there are some brief spurts where it does manage to inject some life into the proceedings with his defensive work against the zombies or the final encounter protecting them from the militia outbreak, there are not enough of these elements or even enough good ones to justify this one. It goes on far too long trying to detail him going around trying to deal with the kids and their work within the house before going back to deal with the zombies, and it's possible to forget they're out there so infrequently does it feature them. That doesn't help that there's almost nothing here about what's going on, from the reason for the plague, how the kids have survived, what the locals are doing about the creatures, even what the purpose of the militia proves, or even how the ending makes sense so it causes some big issues overall.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, and children-in-jeopardy.

I love zombie movies but they're often predictable and follow the same old tropes. Uncontained breaks the mold and gives us new concepts and dangers to consider. I really loved this fresh take on a rotting genre!

The mystery of the Man is slowly unfolding when we get more questions about the children he meets and where are their parents?

Uncontained opens up slowly, layer by layer, and by the time you think you know where it's going, you're neck deep in uncharted waters.

I love indie horror movies with a single location and small cast because it's all about the story and characters, not a bunch of extras dying and huge explosions.

Uncontained has interesting characters and new ideas about the "zombie" concept. I highly recommend it.

I realize that some people won't be able to get past the lower budget, simple location. I think story trumps those details every time. Acting is better than I would expect. Well produced, directed, and acted, considering. My wife and I really enjoyed it. Since I have to include more to make it to the requirements for the review. I will simply copy and paste what I have already written.

I realize that some people won't be able to get past the lower budget, simple location. I think story trumps those details every time. Acting is better than I would expect. Well produced, directed, and acted, considering. My wife and I really enjoyed it. Since I have to include more to make it to the requirements for the review. I will simply copy and paste what I have already written.

"Uncontained" (2025) is a horror film directed by Morley Nelson that attempts to offer a unique take on the zombie genre by focusing on character and atmosphere over action. The plot follows a drifter who becomes a reluctant guardian to two abandoned siblings during a viral outbreak. The film tries to build suspense by introducing different kinds of threats, from the infected to a ruthless militia, but it struggles to maintain a consistent tone. While the premise of the infected having partial, cyclical transformations is an interesting idea, the execution often feels sluggish. The dialogue, particularly the philosophical exchanges about humanity, comes across as forced and preachy, detracting from the genuine performances of the cast. The film's attempts to be a "thinking person's zombie movie" ultimately fall short, as the narrative meanders and the emotional payoffs feel unearned.

Is it worth watching? No. It's a tedious and uneven film that fails to live up to its own ambition.

I'll keep this mercifully short, since I only made it halfway through before deciding solitaire on my phone was far more compelling.

The good? Sure: decent concept, solid camera work. That's about where the compliments end.

The bad? Buckle up. Our fearless auteur apparently wrote, directed, produced, and starred in this masterpiece of nepotism. Naturally, he cast his family of non-actors in lead roles, because who needs talent when you have the same last name? Spoiler: they can't act, and it's painfully obvious.

But let's talk about the plot, which stumbles around like it's drunk in the dark. It's somehow both convoluted and insultingly simplistic, with all the depth of a kiddie pool in a drought. Characters make baffling choices purely to move the story along (such as it is), and any tension evaporates the second someone opens their mouth. It's like watching someone try to improvise a screenplay while forgetting what genre they're in every five minutes.

Maybe there was potential buried somewhere in there, but sadly, it's smothered under the crushing weight of unchecked ego and zero self-awareness.