Island Zero (2018)

Good concept, poorly executed.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The low-budget "Island Zero" is a film with an intriguing premise: in an island in Maine, the village is isolated from the continent without the ferry, phone line and Internet. Out of the blue, residents vanish while the survivors have to ration the water and food. What is hunting them down? A biologist may have the answer. The development has moments of soap opera but is not bad and the solution for the budget restriction is smart, making the creatures invisible and saving the costs in CGI. However the conclusion is disappointing and gives the sensation that something is missing. In the end, "Island Zero" looks like the pilot of a TV series. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): Not Available

Was drawn into seeing 'Island Zero' with a cool poster/cover, a very intriguing and creative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for the genre. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive. 'Island Zero' is a film it doesn't do enough with its potential (although there are far bigger wastes of potential in film) and could have been much better, can't say that it is a great film because it isn't. It is not a terrible film though, as far as recent low-budget film viewings go it's better than most but with good things. It certainly could have been far worse, considering the large number of films seen recently being mediocre at best and irredeemably terrible at worst.Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky and 'Island Zero' is surprisingly well shot considering the budget. The music is ominous.Found that the acting was not bad, while not award-worthy it was not amateurish and it seemed like the actors were trying to engage. The direction has assured parts.Also that there were a few nice moments that intrigued and there was some suspense, frightening horror and unsettlement, the first portion is promising.The suspense and unsettlement doesn't come consistently however, with the second half not having enough of either. What stops them from being frequent and stronger is an at times deadly dull pace with too many overlong scenes of little going on, not all necessary either and there for padding mainly, and also a structure that is not as cohesive or clear as it could have been. The less suspense and sense of horror there is, the more senseless and ridiculous it gets, the ending is ludicrous. Part of me felt it could have been more claustrophobic with the close-knit setting and community, some of the film feels too safe and restrained for such a dire situation.'Island Zero's' idea was great but the content didn't always feel enough for a feature film. It feels more like a short film over-stretched at times. The over-stretched sense is present too in a rushed-first-draft-stage and talky script and a pace that goes overkill on the slow burning. With a pace and structure that fails to compel it is very difficult to ignore. Characters have very little to them, while the budget limitations show in the editing, which is careless at times, and especially the effects, which look afterthought-like.Overall, not an easy film to rate or review. Not awful, not much to get excited about. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Please note that the following transcript is not based on actual events & is a concept of fiction (arguably better than the plot line of the film itself). Writer: "It is a monster movie about an apex predator that lives in the water & terrorises an island community." Producer: "Hmmm...monster movie. Sounds costly. Monsters aren't easy to create & we don't have a massive budget." Writer: "Well, that is the beauty of it - the monsters are naked to the human eye." *waves hands about mysteriously* Producer: "Jon..." *sighs* "You are a genius cheapskate." *places pen down on table* Writer: "I know. It practically writes itself."Please note that the plot may have been better if it did write itself or if a 3 year old wrote it.

This is another film that shows you dont need a massive budget to make a half decent horror film.Loved the music and setting; reminded me of John Carpenters THE FOG.Acting was good, story was novel and even the low budget special effects were used well and most importantly it had a really eerie almost Lovecraftian atmosphere. The director of this film certainly knows a lot more than most of the so called horror directors these days and does it all on a limited budget - good camera work and setting but the music was what sets this one apart and puts it up a rung on the horror ladder.I was not expecting much going into this but I came out with a lot more than expected.If you like to find low budget niche horror movies you will love this one!