Domain

I was just lying in bed, trying to find something to put me to sleep, when I came across this interesting, if a bit overused, premise that comprises this movie. I figured it would be a low budget so and so sci-fi but I was surprised to find a well-acted, nicely shot, atmospheric dystopian suspense thriller.

There is a pandemic, and World Health Organization claims we are all doomed. Still, they have a plan. They will make half a million bunkers where lucky lottery winners will stay until the plague disappears. How long they'll have to stay inside? Could be decades!

After this opening set up we are following some of the lucky ones who made it to these small safe heavens. Dialogue is serviceable and not cringe worthy and the characters are interesting (some more and some less) while the atmosphere of the whole containment deal is pretty well presented. There are some clever ideas as to the ways those people choose to interact and keep a straight head during this unpleasant, but necessary lock up.

The film kept me interested to the very end. Some of the ideas come across as original (even if they are not really) which is very much appreciated from my side. Unfortunately, some of the actions of particular characters do seem strange and out of place which does leave a stain on the whole experience but it might be a bit unfair to hold it against the creators.

Interested to see what the Director/Writer has in store for us next. Small budget didn't keep him from making a solid first full length feature.

7 out of 10 from me.

For a small budget film, this is a great achievement. For the viewer at home, it's a well acted, interestingly told story that was good enough to keep me from reaching for my phone and "half watching" like many of us do when the film isn't very good but we still want to see what happens at the end.

Ironically, the ending would be one of the weaker points here, and I think the explains some of the scathing reviews as the first two acts of he film are quite predictable but it wound up ending in a way that takes you off guard.

None the less, it wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination and is a very worthy lockdown watch.

Watchable once. Do not think to re-watch it someday. On a similar topic, Moon (2009) was way better.

Goof : One of the character is learning French. At 37', we see him reading an article about the French Revolution on the computer. The article is plagued with grammar mistakes.

The acting is great.

The character assortment works well, and each character is well developed.

The ending brings logic and reason to what I assumed were plot holes.

Do you have a strange feeling of "Déjà vu"? Like you've already watched this movie but you don't remember when or where? You might be right if you're old enough to have caught The Outer Limits TV series and its season 3, episode 13, titled "Dead Man's Switch " (1997).

To be honest, I really thought right from the beginning of the movie that I had already watched this movie before. However it was entertaining enough and well made to rate it with a 7. Despite the number of obvious "coincidences" between this movie and the Outer Limits' episode, the "original" plot change (global virus) and ending (I will avoid spoilers) makes it worth a watch.

I understand why some people can be disappointed by the movie since it might feel like a Twilight Zone/Outer Limits episode that was way too long for the story being told.