Direct to DVD Dissection returns with another zombie horror movie set in Civil War times, though sadly with a lack of one liner spewing Lincoln and mini Teddy Roosevelt, with the movie EXIT HUMANITY: A Zombie Saga.
DVD Release Date: June 19, 2012
Runtime: 1 hour, 53 minutes
Director: John Geddes
Studio: The Collective
The Story
A zombie outbreak in the late stages of the American Civil War separate a man from his son, and he searches out to find him, as the dead start to overrun the country side, and old wounds start to break open.
The Cast
Mark Gibson as Edward Young, the main character who sets out into the world after his wife turns to a zombie and his son disappears. He’s appeared in an episode of PSYCH, and more notiably in the film MONSTER BRAWL, which involves monsters wrestling each other.
Brian Cox as the voice of the older Young, as he is reading or writing in his journal. He’s worked in several TV shows, movies, and in video games, from movies like X2: X-Men UNITED, SUPER TROOPERS, TROY, BRAVEHEART, and RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.
Stephen McHattie as Medic Johnson, a doctor under the employ of General Williams, who is looking into the zombie outbreak. He’s appeared in several films, like WATCHEMEN, SHOOT EM UP, and was also the main villain in the movie RED: WEREWOLF HUNTER, which was reviewed here.
Bill Moseley as General Williams, leader of the rebels who is looking into the zombie outbreak, with some issues. Moseley has carved a niche in the horror genre, working on ARMY OF DARKNESS, the Rob Zombie movies like HALLOWEEN, DEVILS REJECTS, and HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES, as well as REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA, and as Chop-top Sawyer on TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2.
The Dissection
Another day, another zombie movie, and another that’s set in the past. There have been good entries in that genre (ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS ZOMBIES) and some bad ones (THE DEAD AND THE DAMNED). It is tough at times to tell the good from the bad, especially since there is an overabundance of genre films related to zombies. To find out, one has to look deeper into the movie itself.
Mark Gibson as Edward Young
The tone of the movie is actually very different from your standard zombie movie set up. It plays more like THE OUTLAW JOSIE WALES in a way. It follows one guy, in this case Edward Young, through various set pieces and meeting different characters during his travels. It’s a movie that is less about the apocalypse and escaping it, but rather acting as it’s more of a study of zombies and what is causing them, as well as the old story of “Who are the real monsters?” angle with the survivors and what they do.
The movie itself has some good talent, just not in the forefront. The main actor is not bad in the role, honestly, but his dialog is minimal, thanks to Brian Cox delivering a lot of the lines as a retrospective look to the past. For about 30 minutes, the only lines Gibson has is just yelling “NOOOOOO!!!” or “AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!” after something happens. The rest of his dialog is pretty hit or miss. As mentioned, Cox is really the main draw of the character, as his lines are all this deep thoughts about the situaiton and having all these moments of monologue that Gibson is reacting to. Moving on to the other cast members, McHattie and Moseley do well in their roles, but they don’t spend much time on the screen, especially McHattie. They deliver some great performances, as expected, but it’s limited due to how the movie focuses on the other supporting characters. They have some good performances, but they fit into the typical zombie movie roles, and never develop beyond that.
Bill Moseley as General Williams
The visuals of the movie look good. The zombie effects look good, not like someone sprayed some make up on someone and ripped their clothes. Also, the visuals of the woods look good. It’s shot in Canada, but it works well as the West. There is the occasional cartoon-type visual, whether with chapters of the movie or with a shot of a zombie attack. It feels out of place at times, but it’s nothing too bad. Also, some of the more darker scenes, especially during the climax, make it hard to see things at times. Overall, though, it’s a greatly crafted movie.
The Extras
-4 Trailers for several other movies, like:
- CHOP
- YELLOW BRICK ROAD
- RAMMBOCK BERLIN UNDEAD
- THE WOMAN
-A making of feature of the movie, named BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS
-2 Director’s Commentaries, one with the director and 2 actors (Adam Seybold, who played Issac, and Mark Gibson, who played Edward) and one with 2 producers, (Jesse Thomas Cook & Matt Wiele).
The Verdict
It’s a movie that is a bit different from standard zombie fare, but it doesn’t go far enough. It’s worth a rental to watch, no matter where you do your rentals. If you got some time to kill, it’s not a bad pick to check out and watch one of the better zombie films out there.
Rent EXIT HUMANITY at Redbox
http://www.redbox.com/movies/exit-humanity
Watch EXIT HUMANITY at Amazon Instant
http://www.amazon.com/Exit-Humanity-A-Zombie-Saga/dp/B008COII1Y