The Girl with All the Gifts is one of the more surprising movies of 2016 more because it’s yet another in a long line of zombie movies that actually manage to entertain even if it doesn’t exactly break new ground in the genre.
The Girl with All the Gifts
(2016)
Lionsgate provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller, Horror, Drama
Lionsgate | R – 111 min. – $17.99 | April 25, 2017
Date Published: 04/19/2017 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 4.0/5 |
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Plot Synopsis (contains SPOILERS): Humanity has been all but destroyed by a fungal disease that eradicates free will and turns its victims into flesh-eating “hungries.” Only a small group of children seem immune to its effects. At an army base in rural England, these unique children are being studied and subjected to cruel experiments. When the base falls, a group that includes Sergeant Eddie Parks (PADDY CONSIDINE), teacher Helen Justineau (GEMMA ARTERTON), Dr. Caroline Caldwell (GLENN CLOSE) and one of these children, Melanie (SENNIA NANUA), manage to escape. There are a few others, but they’re mainly victims for the zombies. So the group must make their way through hoards of “hungries” who stand in an almost hibernation state and only Melanie can elude detection. In between we get more lay of the land of this future and discover in a third stage of infection, pods are laid which contain particles that, if hatched, will spread the fungus all around the world. Dr. Caldwell meanwhile needs Melanie’s spine and brain in the hopes of creating a cure. Quick Hit Review: I’m not much for zombies anymore and with the success of The Walking Dead, the horror subgenre has grown exponentially over the years. So going in, I didn’t exactly have high hopes for The Girl with All the Gifts and my expectations were vastly exceeded. While it certainly owes plenty to a movie like 28 Days Later, and doesn’t exactly break new ground, it’s hard to deny it is highly entertaining. One of the highlights, is the young actress Sennia Nanua who makes her feature film debut and early on she shows incredible charisma and makes you actually root for her character to succeed/survive rather than, as can be the case with child actors, actively want to see them shut up. The other cast do effective work from Gemma Arterton as the heart of the group, Paddy Considine whose character starts off as an ass but softens by the third act and lastly veteran actress Glenn Close in an unusual role as the main villain though her motivations of wanting to save humanity is understandable while the methods deplorable. Directed by Colm McCarthy, The Girl with All the Gifts is an entertaining little zombie/horror flick with some genuinely tense moments and some solid performances. However, as much as I did enjoy the film, I do wonder how it will hold up and probably will watch again in a year or two. In any case, if you enjoy sub-genre, this might be worth a rental. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.5/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover. Inside are a DVD Copy and redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Sadly, there’s only one lone featurette, Unwrap the Secret World of The Girl with All the Gifts (20:45; HD) that includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with members of the cast and crew. Previews – 31, American Heist, Cell, Come and Find Me, Maggie |
VIDEO – 4.25/5 |
| The Girl with All the Gifts comes to Blu-ray presented with a 2.00 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture looks good with surprisingly bright-ish colors which, at times, had a certain pop, though once the survivors head into the city amongst the “hungries”, the spectrum tends toward more the natural side of things. Detail appears natural looking and there weren’t any obvious signs of artifacting, aliasing or other flaws. |
AUDIO – 4.5/5 |
| The disc comes with a rather strong DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. While the dialogue levels did sound crisp and clean, the standout was with both the haunting score from Cristobal Tapia de Veer, coming through the rear speakers, as well as the LFE channel which kicked in with gusto to the point where the floor was shaking. |
OVERALL – 3.75/5 |
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Overall, The Girl with All the Gifts is one of the more surprising movies of 2016 more because it’s yet another in a long line of zombie movies that actually manage to entertain even if it doesn’t exactly break new ground in the genre. It also excels with the performances by newcomer Sennia Nanua as well as Gemma Arterton and Glenn Close. This Blu-ray released through Lionsgate offers good video/audio transfers but lacks any substantive bonus material. |