Colm McCarthy

Britain has been overrun by a fungal disease that turns people into ravenous zombies, known as “hungries”. In a military bunker a group of intelligent zombie children are being experimented on by Dr Caldwell (Glenn Close) who is desperately searching for a cure. Of particular interest is the exceptional Melanie (Sennia Nanua) who develops a bond with teacher Helen Justineau (Gemma Arterton). When the “hungries” over run the facility Melanie, Caldwell, Justineau and soldier Sergeant Eddie Parks (Paddy Considine) are thrown into an uneasy alliance as they journey across country in search of sanctuary. This is an Interesting dystopian horror with an interesting underlying premise and a clever take on the legend of Pandora. Scottish Director Colm McCarthy does well with the available budget delivering some decent visuals, some credible action and some nice moments of suspense. The film, however, is more a character piece than a typical zombie actioner and unfortunately becomes a bit slow and saggy at times for its own good. When in danger of becoming overly dull it is, however, saved by some strong performances by the leads. That Glenn Close, Gemma Arterton and Paddy Considine put in decent turns isn’t too much of a surprise, but the fantastic performance by Sennia Nanua certainly is. She is by turns lovable and dangerous and emanates a strange uncertainty around her actions and motivations.… (mais)