Tuesday, 12 September 2017

The Girl with all the Gifts (Thing 2)

The Girl with all the Gifts (2016)



(No Spoilers I promise)

Collage of book cover, movi poster and main character

The burgeoning genre of zombie-post-apocalyptic movies and books out there is awash with the good, the bad and the dreadful.  This movie is definitely the former. 

Based on a book of the same name by M.R. Carey, I haven’t read the book yet so cannot comment on the adaptation but it contains an interesting plot, although a tiny bit predictive.  When you watch this movie you get the same feeling of grittiness (but still high production values) that the viewer experiences watching 28Days Later. For those who have read James Cronin’s awesome Passage trilogy this will ring a bell, with the main character of Melanie similar to the character of Amy Bellafonte. 

Melania, played by Sennia Nanua is a 2nd generation “hungry”.  You are never sure of her motivation but she makes for a fantastic killer.  With a dual role in the film, she does the brunt of the work and carries the film really well. 

With a great plot, interesting characters and a feeling that you don’t really know what’s happening from the start (again like 28Days Later) it’s a realistic portrayal (and scientifically plausible) version of an apocalypse.  For those who have read Speaker for the Dead (Orson Scott Card) there is a similarity between the lives of the piggies/trees and the virus, again a little predictable but still is different than most other zombie/vampire offerings available.    

English born actor Paddy Considine (Worlds End, Child 44 & the Bourne movies) makes a great Sergeant Parks, with little time for sentiment, but does of course mellow by the end of the movie, the perfect hero.

Glenn Close, playing the role of a struggling scientist trying to produce a cure was amazing, as she is in nearly everything, but well outside of her comfort zone.  Of course she is such an accomplished actor it would be difficult to find a role she wouldn’t be great in.  I suppose with an acting career spanning more than 40 years you learn a little, I especially loved her portrayal of a ball-crunching precinct captain in The Shield – her first TV role in a series.

Ultimately, this movie deals with the big question of “Science Fiction” really well.  I like to think of science fiction as two-fold.  The subject is of course fiction (i.e. made up) and it also has a scientific make-up that is plausible.  I know some people go on too much about plot-gaps and inconsistencies but there’s a reason why.  If there is a glaring plot-gap, implausible occurrence, or an instance that just makes you scream at the television or flick back a few pages in the book to see if you have missed something, it distracts you from the movie or book. Let’s not forget, we watch and read this genre to forget about reality for a while and relax.  You can’t do that if there is a huge glaring mistake or plot gap.  The Girl with all the Gifts is an intelligently told story, with a plausible “what-if” that works and flows nicely.  Again for those who have read or watched “The Strain” series by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan you’ll know what I’m talking about.  

Final Verdict:  A must see ASAP. Tiny bit predictable hence looses 1 planet
Movie Review by The Captain.
(Rating - 9 out of 10 planets)





#Rudai23 #wexworlds #SenniaNanua #GlennClose #thegirlwithallthegifts #mrcarey #thepassage #justincronin #28dayslater #zombie

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