La ragazza che sapeva troppo

I've read the book and also the second "the boy on the bridge" and only found later that it was made into a motion picture. Having enjoyed the books so much I was curious to see whether the movie followed the same storyine, character descriptions, etc...

Having read the story first I was a bit disappointed with the film. The film is still great but you won't get the whole story in a film. It would have been better done if it was released as 10 episodes or something.

I'm still giving 7 stars as it was still good to watch.

The opening scenes of The Girl with all the Gifts throw you if you know little about the film. Melanie (Sennia Nanua) is a young polite girl in a room that looks like a cell. In the morning she manacles herself into a wheel chair while armed soldiers push her to her classroom lessons along with other children in a similar state. Melanie remains unfailingly polite and we also realise she is clever.

Are these children gifted? Part of some experiment? Why are the soldiers armed and remain vigilant?

We soon find out when one soldier bursts in and rubs his arm with his spit. It looks like these children have cannibalistic tendencies, we already see Melanie given food which consisted of worms.

The film is a take on the Zombie movie, society has collapsed because of a fungal infection of the brain turning people into zombies and it is evolving. These children were rescued from a hospital as babies and raised by the army. Dr Caroline Caldwell (Glenn Close) is the scientist who sees Melanie and others to be experimented so she can find a cure for this fungus.

Helen Justineau (Gemma Arterton) is the teacher who wants to protect Melanie from the soldiers and Dr Caldwell. She seems to have bonded with Melanie and even Melanie shows a protective attitude towards her even when she needs to feed.

When the army base is in invaded by the zombies this three along with some soldiers escape and head for safety to another mobile unit. However it is clear society has broken down, the zombies are going through an evolution process and Dr Caldwell might be too late to develop a vaccine.

This is probably the most striking British zombie film since 28 Days Later. It is a low budget film shot mainly in and around the Midlands. Director Colm McCarthy makes an interesting opening to this film and best use of the small budget for some special effects shots. He keeps the story human, the development of the relationship between Melanie and Justineau. Dr Caldwell supplies the scientific explanations but the story dos slow down in parts over halfway through.

A wonderful central performance from Sennia Nanua who shows she is a talent to watch.

Okay, this is probably going to be one of those 'I just saw the movie recently so my opinion is still ridiculously over-inflated' sort of write-ups, so please bear that in mind.

Several years ago, I quit playing videogames but one of the last games that I played was The Last of Us which was an especially impressive post-apocalyptic zombie survival title. As far as gameplay went, it was actually repetitive and boring, but what was great about this particular game, was the heart-warming story and the wonderfully rich environment it created. Most people who played this game all came out of it with the same conclusion, "This would make a killer movie." This brought up all of the implications that its film adaptation would certainly end up sucking due to the infamous 'Game to Film' adaptation curse. If you are not familiar, this is the belief, argued by some, that no videogame has been successfully adapted to the screen and resulted in a great film, or at least a commonly acknowledged great film. Ever. Though this film will technically not count, The Girl with All the Gifts borrows a lot of stylistic elements from that game and owes it a great debt but, in the end, it is its own film and I must say, an exceptional one.

I am not going to go into any detail about this one yet because I know a lot of you will not have seen it. I went into it blind and I think that doing likewise will add to the experience for everyone. I will say it has some wonderful performances and looks every bit as beautiful as the game I mentioned above. This is top shelf storytelling with painfully gorgeous climax and while watching The Girl with All the Gifts, I was struggling to find anything to compare it to. It is certainly my favorite zombie film made this year, even surpassing the way above averageTrain to Busan . I would have to go back to 28 Days Later to find anything to rival it but I think I might like this even more than that game changer. So then what? Romero's original films? It seems a little unfair to compare it to the genesis of the genre but that is where I'd have to look. Is this the best zombie movie I've ever seen then? I dunno. It is definitely the coolest.

In my opinion, if you want zombies done right, you go to the English apparently.

28 Days Later/Shaun of the Dead/ The Girl with All the Gifts

they are positively shaming the rest of us

Let me say first that I am not a fan of zombie movies. Since George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead", most have been derivative. There have been some better than others (so I've been told) but none that really stand out from the pack. I think, though, that "The Girl with All the GIfts" is one that does stand out in this genre. I read about it and decided to take a chance on it...I figured if I didn't like it that I would just fast forward it and be done with it in about 15 minutes. So I took it out from my local library. Well, I got hooked from the beginning. I would recommend that if you want an interesting, unexpectedly well done movie then give this movie a chance

This movie is best going into with as little fore knowledge as possible, because when someone tells you the genre of this movie, your preconceptions will almost certainly skew your expectations and experience.

This is not a typical movie in its genre. It's a lot smarter and more thought provoking. While there are thrills, and lots of suspense, it's done in a much better way that is of service to the characters and the story, creating a slow build of dread rather than cheap jump scares.

A very good movie with excellent acting and casting. Sennia Nanua, who plays Melanie also did a phenomenal job, Gemma Arterton was solid as the protective and caring teacher Helen Justineau. Glenn Close was also good as the Doctor prepared to do almost anything to find a cure for the disease.

The whole cast did a very good job and the music complimented rather than overpowered the movie.

Worth seeing and I have watched it more than once.