Population Zero

I didn't read anything about Population Zero before watching it and to be honest I thought it was a documentary for almost half of the movie before realizing it was a mockumentary. So credits to the actors in the beginning that made it look genuine. Acting is good when it doesn't look like acting. Once it looks like acting you're actually not a good actor, that's paradoxal but that's how it is. At half of the movie it was suddenly obvious there were acting scenes, so not a good job from those actors. But for a mockumentary I have to admit I enjoyed it. It's well made and the story is interesting. Population Zero is low budget but it isn't bad, certainly not for the way it's shot, with handycams, not really the kind of cinematography I normally enjoy.

In 2009, three young men are killed in a remote part of Yellowstone National Park. Dwayne Nelson walks in and confesses. Due to a constitutional loophole, he is acquitted and walks free. Five years later, documentary filmmaker Julian T. Pinder is given the material and decides to investigate.

It's a faux documentary. The premise is interesting although the law case should probably come first. It needs a little more explaining like I'm a complete idiot. The first half is fine although I would be lying if I say that it's entrancing. It has a sad mood and shows a world grinding down. The movie loses me somewhat with the fracking. I don't love its use. I'm more taken with this being an act of random madness or a madman bent on committing the perfect crime. As an idea, this is more compelling than its execution.

The concept of a fake documentary is an interesting one. The whole time I was watching 'Population Zero' I kept thinking to myself, would I be enjoying this more if it was a real documentary? The answer is of course yes. The biggest problem with the fake side of it is that every time it tries to take itself seriously it just comes across embarrassingly. When it focuses on the story and mystery element it's fine, however when it tries to get heart-felt interview answers out of terrible actors it is nothing short of cringe-worthy.

The story is certainly the strongest part of 'Population Zero'. Quite an interesting plot line is developed and it drives the movie along well. Director and star Julian T. Pinder also quite impressed me. He had just enough charisma to carry the film. Some of the dialogue he had to work with wasn't particularly well written at times, so his acting can come across clunky on occasion. I don't think that was entirely his fault though. There's a half decent film hidden somewhere in here. Just some slightly better pacing and some script tweaks and this could have been something special.

This documentary was good..just the thing I enjoy..I was really into it when I cleverly started picking up on this is not really real Beth..hmm I am still shocked it is fake but I still wonder if it is real considering there were no credits for actors! Is it really based on fiction or reality? Regardless I did enjoy it...

There was a lot of thought put into this movie and I think most will see that this is not an actual documentary. That being said, it doesn't make it any less of a movie. So while this isn't exactly what some people advertise it to be, this is so close to being that, that whatever you think of it, won't really matter.

Well apart from the fact that some people will question your intelligence maybe. But this only showcases how good the work of the filmmaker at hand is here. It also showcases how crazy some laws are and maybe they need to change. There have been faux documentaries before and there will be quite a few after this, but the style of this, might make it more accessible to a broader audience than some other outputs have been. Whatever the case (no pun intended), this is gripping and told very well