Project 12: The Bunker

Quite unsurprising and seemed to be filled with some extra clutter to make it 90 min long. The acting wasn't great but I've seen much worse too.

Would I not have read the synopsis I wouldn't have had any idea what I was watching until about halfway through the movie. I don't think you'd lose much is you just skipped to the moment when they reach the bunker.

I think it was watchable and with the topic had potential to be bad instead of just awful. I'd say it just a few ticks away from being bad enough to be good. It is a three star movie but anything with soviet scifi elements gets an extra star from me.

Spare yourselves the time wasted on this terrible movie. Some reasonable acting but the script is unoriginal, the effects dire, and the directing is all over the place. At the start I thought this was an 80's spoof cold war movie, expecting it to be a comedy, but it takes itself far too seriously and falls down after 20 minutes.

The film is a great action thriller very entertaining. In my opinion, also knowing the limited resources the project had, is quiet well done. I guess the idea is original and believable and if the setting is in the past, is bringing back to the reality an ideological conflict which is not yet over: even more, is very actual, unfortunately.

Jaime with really limited contacts, basically no support and by living in a remote island in the Atlantic as Tenerife, is achieving step by step a level of quality production which I find amazing compared to the relatively low production cost.

I wish him success for his career and looking forward to his next movies.

Take one brief look at the synopsis for Bunker: Project 12 and you will quickly understand that you're very much in B-grade movie territory, the type of landscape where you will need to switch your brain off and leave your better judgement at the door should you wish to enjoy the silly and budget-restrained goodies' that a film such as this often entails.

To call Project 12 a good film would be a lie, but against all the odds, Jaime Falero's high-concept action/thriller ends up being a film with enough neat ideas and scenarios to remain ever watchable, the perfect mindless film to put on for a rainy night and another chance to see Eric Roberts in one of the 100's of film's his seemingly appeared in over the last 12 - 18 months.

Interestingly for a film of Project 12's ilk, Falero spends a large portion of the early runtime afforded to him to slow-build his narrative as a collection of long-hidden Russian scientists involved in top secret experiments during the Cold War are killed-off until the film then moves into more horror/thriller territory when James Cosmo's soviet veteran Brian Balanowsky and a team of top-tier mercenaries enter into the fabled bunker to uncover its long dormant secrets.

It's a wise move by Falero to build up to this moment as the action and effects work on show here aren't much chop, no doubt hampered by a low-end budget, there's just not the tools available for Falero to fully enact out the potential of Project 12's idea, which is the type of idea you can see future film's riffing off thanks to its potential to be a highly over the top yet also highly entertaining mix of action and thrills in a setting that feels ripe for such a set-up.

With limits to what the film can achieve with its production values and resources, it's great to see the films cast have fun with what they're given with Roberts, Cosmo and other cast members such as Joaquín Sánchez (who also co-writes) and Natasha Alam all understanding what they are a part of and delivering delightfully D-grade turns which helps make the film an at times laugh out loud experience with hilariously placed zingers and lines for the cast to deliver.

Final Say -

With TV movie of the week conception, Bunker: Project 12 is the type of film you're likely to find on late night TV after the majority of us have gone to bed but with a fun concept and some hugely appealing ideas, Falero's film may not be great, but it does offer some good fun along its journey.

2 flamethrowers out of 5

Whilst the plot isn't really original, it moves along at a good pace with some reasonable acting. It's entertaining, and doesn't pretend to be anything else. We found it enjoyable for a wet and cold weekend.