Deadsight

I very nearly skipped this movie because of the low rating and super cheesy cover art. Glad I didn't! I really don't understand the hate for this movie, it's much better than the rating suggests. Yes it's a bit on the lower budget side, but the production values are pretty good. It's a slow burner and relies more on atmosphere than the usual installments in the genre. There are very few characters - the story is set around a very recently blinded man and a very pregnant lady. The ending was predictable, but if you're a fan of the genre you're likely forgiving of such things. The acting & special effects were fine. It's not the best zombie movie you'll ever see, but it's pretty good. If you're a fan of the genre don't skip this one.

A blind man capable of stumbling through the zombie apocalypse unbitten. A near to term pregnant woman capable of repeated cross-country travel.

They are able to find each other in different remote locations in the Canadian countryside time after time by pure happenstance. Then make every poor decision possible, and somehow survive.

These two bumblers shouldn't have been capable of trip across the city on a normal day, much less the countryside during an apocalypse.

They should have named this movie "Blind Luck".

The movie itself and the acting are just fine. Having one of the two main characters being blind at the start of a zombie plague is something different. Bad enough to be blind but during a zombie attack, that would just plain suck. Talk about terrifying.

My only real problem with the movie is that in every case a decision could be made they made the worst one possible. First off, at the start she fires 4 rounds from her semi-auto pistol and says she only has 2 rounds left. Yes, there are 6 rounds magazines but this is a police primary weapon, not a sub-compact. Possible sure, but not terribly probable and not a spare magazine or round to be had. Speaking of which, at the farm house two zombies/bodies are present which would apparently be the husband and wife. He's in the tub having shot himself and the revolver is still in his hand. She's got 2 rounds left but does she take the pistol, nope. She covers it and him with a sheet. Nor does she look for any more weapons or ammo around, on a farm. Now they are determined they have to get back to the ambulance because apparently there are no vehicles on this farm at all. Not that they check. So she tools up with an ax for him (who's staying behind) and a machete for her. Now the first time he uses the ax, he doesn't accidentally lose it, he leaves it behind. The first time she uses the machete, she leaves it behind. She empties her pistol and throws it away. Later she actually gets the farmers pistol, still doesn't look for more ammo and throws it away as soon it's empty. That's just the first half of the film.

Sometimes it's good to have a small cast, in this case not so much. To base a movie on only two characters only means you must have a really enthralling story. Not that this is an awful movie, it's just a bit slow and dull.

The two main characters Ben (Adam Seybold), is blind and in the back of an ambulance, and Mara (Liv Collins) a pregnant police officer find themselves in a town full of zombies. And with no way of escape there seems little chance of getting out alive. Not that there's a lot of zombies either, but plenty of scenes in the dark.

Shame as this should've been a lot better with more excitement.

Have a thing for good concepts in films, love it when the film, shows etc lives up to it or exceeds it but hate it when it is wasted by lacking execution or when it doesn't quite hit the mark. There are numerous examples of both in film and television, but recently it has sadly leaned towards the latter and it is especially frustrating when the concept is more than good and then there are other things that show so much potential.

'Deadsight's' concept was one of the best for any film seen recently, and that it appeared like it tried to do something different is to be admired. It was not an over-familiar one, and while there are recognisable elements of course for a film with zombies didn't find myself thinking that it was your typical zombie film and don't really class it as one. More a horror-thriller with them featured. The good news is that in my view, the concept was not wasted, as there are good things about 'Deadsight'. Do think however that there was big potential to do so much more and it was one of those not sure what to make of it films.

Will start with the good things. 'Deadsight' looks good, surprisingly so considering the cover made it look as though it would look very cheesy and cheap. That's not the case, found the photography stylish and atmospheric, the effects are not overused or abused and the make-up is suitably freaky and doesn't look goofy. There is some eeriness in the music, and there are tension and thrills to be had (there could have been more certainly but they were there) and genuine they were too.

The two lead characters are worth rooting for, their chemistry unforced, and while the zombies are underused they do have menace. Adam Seybold and Liv Collins fare more than adequately in the lead roles, even actually found them good where they seemed to care about their predicament.

On the other hand, there are things that 'Deadsight' could have done better. The story, even for one with a deliberate pace, did drag and there are uneventful stretches that indicated that there wasn't enough in the story to sustain the length. While a good job is done with the leads, the other characters are very bland and don't fit as comfortably, some didn't seem necessary either.

Also felt that the dalogue could have flowed much better and when there was any it was a little too heavy on exposition, especially in the early portions. The film really peters out at the climax, it is predictable, any attempts at explanation (and too much is left unanswered) are vague and there is a complete lack of tension or anything really.

In conclusion, not an easy film to rate. Not bad but could have been much better. 5/10