Year: 2016
Director: Colm McCarthy
Of late the world has been overrun with so many zombie films that we assume that creatively the horror genre is pretty well braindead but it helps that ‘The Girl With All The Gifts’ starts from a curious unique scenario and pretty much follows through to its conclusion. MR Carey’s novel was a gripping page turner and the film script which he adapted maintains that tension aided by a superb sound design and clanging industrial music that makes the viewer uneasy. The girl of the title, Melanie, relative unknown Sennia Nanua lives in a military installation, together with several other children who are wheeled to a makeshift classroom each day strapped to their chairs. Reprising her role as Cruella De Ville, Glenn Close’s Dr Caldwell stalks their cells at night often leading to an empty desk the next morning. It’s best you know as little as possible before seeing this film so I’ll try and keep it vague.
The only ray of light in this tomblike existence for Melanie is Gemma Arterton as teacher, Miss Justineau, the only inhabitant to show anything but fear and contempt for the inmates. The authorities want the children to be taught facts they can be tested on to judge intelligence whereas she acquiesces to their requests for stories in the guise of myths and legends, Like Pandora’s Box – big symbolism klaxon.
Their world is broken open and Melanie, Caldwell and her teacher escape across a post apocalyptic landscape with a handful of soldiers led by the gruff but-you-know-he’ll-come-round-in-the-end Sgt Parks (Paddy Considine). Its an impressively CGI and physically regendered world of abandoned schools, hospitals and shopping malls peopled (or zombled) by ‘Hungries’ – the cutest sounding canabalistic tribe evs.
Yes there are chunks of exposition to be given, obvious rules about not making a sound or any sudden movements to be broken and a little bit of ‘Music & Movement’ acting from some of the children but at heart this is an intelligent zombie flick that is a cut above the rest. Like the novel ‘I Am Legend’ and it’s spin offs like ‘The Last Man On Earth’ it poses the question – who is the monster, who deserves to live on and is this just another evolutionary step for life on earth?.
Might appeal to people who enjoyed:
28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, The Last man On Earth
Having literally just read Camilla Long, ice-maiden trasher of films for the Sunday Times, give it foive, (actually 4) I thought this sounded a cut above the usual zombie mulch too, your review convincing me I need to see it. I think you also reviewed Arnie’s z film, Maggie, heartily commended, and you were spot on there too. I really think zombies are now of sufficient establishment to merit serious attention over the usual slash and munch fare that so many still are. Plus, of course, they are a likely future occurrence.
Read the book earlier this year and wasn’t expecting much from it, but pleasantly surprised. Good cast in this – I’m looking forward to it.
(Mild spoilers in here for the novel)
I’m looking forward to seeing this, having just finished reading the book. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned in connection with either the book or the film is the similarity between this and The Last Of Us. Humanity laid low by a fungus attacking the brain? Check. A young girl who may hold the secret to overcoming the fungus? Check. A surrogate parent relationship with an adult who has a tragic reason in their past for protecting this child? Check. A villain who wants to remove the child’s brain in the name of finding a cure? Check. And so on. I don’t think it’s plagiarism (the book was published six months after the game was released, and I don’t believe that’s enough time to commission, write, edit and publish a knock off, and furthermore it’s an expansion of a previous short story), but it’s interesting. Steam engine time again.
Am an XBOXer so haven’t played The Last Of Us – it’s a cross I have to bear but I have heard similar comparisons
Found the book gripping and the film just as much so…guess the reason it’s had hardly any coverage is because we’ve had so many zombie things on film and TV recently, but it’s a shame as this is smart, tense and very well made and acted. I was getting a real John Wyndham feel from it, which always bodes well. There were a total of four people in the showing I went to on Friday evening, so I can’t imagine it will be on general view for long – file under superior genre effort, and come back in ten years to see if it’s attained “neglected classic” status.
Yeah being lumped in as a “zombie film” does it no favours – for a start they are infected more in the style of The Crazies but it’s a deeper and more thoughtful brew than that.
Saw on Imdb that it cost 4.5 million which is peanuts in the film world and they did a damn fine job with that cash.
Yes the ‘big bad’ at the end was less extravagant and imposing than in the book but the image of a famous London landmark at its centre was a brilliant compromise.
I agree, catch it while you can – especially for that sound mix