Director: Ryan Bellgardt
Year: 2018
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Dinosaurs
Plot:
Participating on a reality game show, a series of death-row inmates find themselves in the next installment of a popular reality show where they have to survive a series of dinosaur attacks while completing tasks in order to get through the game and win their freedom for their crimes.
Review:
This was quite an exciting and enjoyable effort. One of the main selling points for this one is the fact that there's such a unique and original concept for the film. Based around the concept of using a dinosaur-fueled game-show in the future where they take death-row prisoners and pit them in a series of battles not only between each other but the dinosaurs hunting them down all in the name of building up a better show for the viewers. The behind-the-scenes sequences at the compound showing the technology of the hosts and their strategies in making sure the games are violent and entertaining offer up some of the best scenes of the film where it goes on to showcase their games.
The context of the game itself, struggling to make it through various stages of the game with the dinosaurs from the struggle to get out of the forest where they continually hunt down the various cast-members to the stellar sequence inside the maze where the raptors are running through the area with them, gives this a solid framework leading into the fun of the final half where it gets the final contestants ready by fighting the dinosaurs left in the woods before the final battle between the massive Rex's in the desert which offers up the kind of high-energy fighting and flair of the type of film this really could've been with the fantastic concept of the dinosaurs getting involved with the characters in a way that truly feels as though they're actually interacting with them.
As well, the cast here also delivers solidly. Adam Harrison as Tucker creates an impressive main protagonist, wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of his wife and thrust into the games where the audience sympathy comes off rather nicely. Being seen as a guy thrust into the situation when he wasn't guilty enough of a crime to warrant getting involved is a nice enough method to get us onto his side to see him through which is perfect for a hero of this kind. Katie Burgess as the main teenage killer Joy comes off as the highlight here by being the cold, calculating figure that poses more of a threat to the characters than the dinos and really offers an intriguing character which is wholly intriguing character. The other main characters in the set aren't as memorable but certainly leave enough of an impression where it has some fun with these memorable criminals involved in the games. Along with the fine gore involved and far more enjoyable CGI than expected, these here are what hold this up over it's few minor flaws.
The biggest problem here is the fact that this one never really tackles the high-end concept it really could've gone with. Rather than dealing with the exploits of the game and tackle it as another entry in the long-running tradition that has been involved for a while, this one focuses on a useless and wholly cliche storyline about the group attempting to take it off the air which isn't interesting, interrupts the dinosaur action in the finale and has no real context as for why they're attempting to do that when it's been running for as long as it has. This is made out to be a popular and acceptable feature of society, and nothing about their interruptions is necessary making this a confusing issue. As well, the cliche use of the contestants fighting amongst themselves instead of dealing with the dinos is a bit of a problem, but otherwise there isn't much else wrong here.
Overview: ****/5
A lot more enjoyable than expected, this one has plenty of likable elements and a few minor flaws which makes for a rather entertaining time in the right mood. For those willing to go along with the low-budget nature of the presentation or find these cheesy creature features enjoyable, while those that aren't as sold on the style should still give this one a chance with some minor caution overall.
Comments
Post a Comment