Helen Justineau
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Feb 24, 2017 · There’s a visceral, emotional impact to the horror and action of “The Girl with All the Gifts” that resonates because the characters and the world they live in feels real to us. It’s hard to overstate how important this to a horror movie, especially one set in a post-apocalyptic world.
- Day of The Dead
The zombies in "Day of the Dead" are marvels of special...
- Day of The Dead
Feb 24, 2017 · The Girl with All the Gifts grapples with thought-provoking questions without skimping on the scares -- and finds a few fresh wrinkles in the well-worn zombie horror genre along the way.
- (131)
- Colm Mccarthy
- R
- Gemma Arterton
Read critics' opinions on the zombie horror film based on M.R. Carey's novel. See the ratings, scores, and summaries of the reviews from various sources and dates.
Jun 11, 2014 · Ten-year-old Melanie, the star of M.R. Carey's new novel, doesn't know why she needs armed guards and restraints. But readers will find out soon enough, in this grotesque yet grimly hopeful...
- Flesh-eaters are everywhere in this terrific adaptation of the brilliant book.
- Verdict
By Leigh Singer
Updated: Oct 4, 2016 10:42 am
Posted: Sep 22, 2016 4:25 pm
Zombies don’t die off easily and neither do zombie movies. Just when you think they’ve been dealt a fatal headshot through a cheap straight-to-video knock-off of George A. Romero’s lumbering hordes, or even the diminishing returns of the master himself (from classics Night and Dawn to woeful Diary and Survival ... what’s next, Snapchat of the Dead?), along comes something different: a disaster epic (World War Z), a romcom (Warm Bodies), even a claustrophobic Korean action flick (Train to Busan), to add to earlier fresh meat like 28 Days Later or Shaun of the Dead that so smartly pumped new life, and smart mutations, into the genre’s life cycle.
So, meet the “hungries”. A fungal disease, passed on by bodily fluids, has virtually wiped out humanity by turning them into unthinking, flesh-eating drones who could go head-to-head with the 28 Days… speed freaks in a straight sprint. Yet when not feeding, they basically drop into ‘sleep mode’, swaying on the spot until roused by prey (who can dodge them with a scent-blocking gel), rather than constantly shambling around looking for the next walking deli counter. There’s also a fascinating evolution idea put forward here, for anyone wondering if blank-eyed, cannibalistic wandering would ever lead anywhere; one that arguably has more in common with Triffids and The War of the Worlds’ “red weed” than traditional undead...
To reveal more would be unfair. But what’s instantly clear is how The Girl With All the Gifts respects genre conventions yet still springs plenty of surprises. The very first scene throws us without warning or context into a sinister concrete bunker, alongside a group of twenty-odd child prisoners, clad in Guantanamo-style orange and heavily bound in wheelchairs under armed guard. Melanie (winning newcomer Sennia Nanua) seems as bemused as us, what with her hidden picture of a cute kitten and affection for storytelling class teacher Miss Justineau (Gemma Arterton). Justineau is a rare kind face, especially compared to gruff Sergeant Parks (Paddy Considine) or coolly ruthless scientist Dr Cordwell (Glenn Close), who treats her charges as lab rats. Seriously, where are social services when you need them?
Christmas comes early, not just for fans of zombie flicks, but anyone who appreciates smart, exciting genre films in general. Light on gore but heavy on brains, The Girl With All the Gifts delivers what it means to be living, undead or a new combination of the two, with originality and guts.
Aug 3, 2016 · A post-apocalyptic thriller about a girl who turns into a zombie when she's hungry. The film adapts M.R. Carey's novel with a smart and elegant approach, featuring Glenn Close, Gemma Arterton and Paddy Considine.
Feb 23, 2017 · “The Girl With All the Gifts,” directed by Colm McCarthy, is a moderately engrossing, reliably gory British variation on the tried-and-true zombie-apocalypse theme with a first-rate cast. The...
