Firebase

FIREBASE is Director Neill Blomkamp's astonishing vision of the Vietnam war, where the inexplicable "River God" turns the jungle conflict into something even more catastrophic! Can the army possibly stop this paranormal abomination?

Part APOCALYPSE NOW, all supernatural horror, this short film is a unique, mini masterpiece of macabre storytelling. Fabulous CGI and believable humans add to the fright factor. The ending leaves one wanting more...

Two series which Blomkamps Shorts are often compared to are: 'Love, Death and Robots' and 'Black Mirror'. Both of these series are varied and clever; while 'Firebase' is anything but: I fail to see what such a dismal string of shock & gore shots brings to the world except baseless negativity.

Neill Blomkamp departs slightly from his trademark gritty visual style and socioeconomic premises with 'Firebase', a solidly crafted short within the Vietnam war genre that effectively breeds with straight out horror, injecting an unconquerable foe into the nightmarish fold. But it still retains the director's penchant for weaving CGI effects realistically into the setting.

What it lacks in characterisation and closure it more than makes up for in disturbing imagery and creatively building up its main threat. Something evil has risen in the jungles and the grimness of war horror is not forgotten either. For a short film, the budget is quite remarkable. It's pretty much movie quality, and Neill Blomkamp does a fantastic job of stretching that budget across its 25 minute runtime. From the hauntingly realistic raw footage-like montage at the start to the tempo-driven climax, 'Firebase' has a lot to like, and its a shame there's not more to it, just when it breaks stride with some awesome moments in its final scenes.

Lets hope Neill Blomkamp continues to impress with his short films from Oats Studios until his next major movie (maybe expanding on one his recent shorts). 8/10

Starts off strong with an 8 type of rating, Great setting and lots of potential.

As the story drags on you remember that its a short and it needs to lead somewhere, the premise is very interesting but the explanation slows down the pase for a movie that is about to end. 7.

The ending itself and the River God fighting for the Vietcong finished killing this for me.

Went from lots of potential to "eh what"

The idea and production values are ace, but the execution has too much exposition and wonky pacing. Too many things are repeated, too much monologing, and the editing could be considerable tighter.