Movie review: The Rezort

The global zombie war is over with the last remaining zombies confined to a desert island resort where guests can hunt zombies for sport. That is, until the security system fails and the hunters become the hunted.

Dougray Scott (Archer), Jessica De Gouw (Melanie), Martin McCann (Lewis), Claire Goose (Valerie), Elen Rhys (Sadie), Jassa Ahluwalia (Jack), Lawrence Walker (Alfie), Kevin Shen (Nevins), Sean Power (Spencer).

The film begins well enough, reminiscent of Jurassic Park and sure enough, The Rezort suffers the same fate with a faulty security model. While the film moves along at a decent pace and the zombies are plentiful and varied enough to satisfy most zombie fans, the characters just don't develop much charisma. The film finally devolves into a terror flick that finishes with a whimper and thinly veiled attempt at a sequel setup.

Acting was a mixed bag with Scott taking lead and delivering his usual stoic, somewhat dry performance. De Gouw in the strongest supporting role delivered slightly more emotion than Scott but still couldn't quite engage with the audience. The remainder of the cast generated only mediocre energy and audience connection leaving this one feeling somewhat 2 dimensional.

Camera work was good and blended well with CGI and action. Sets and backgrounds fit the film nicely with a solid feel. Sadly it took a full 30 minutes of plot setup and character introductions before we finally get some good zombie action. Dialogue was dry, somewhat lifeless, and didn't help the storyline much. Sound and soundtrack were fitting.

Overall The Rezort is conceptually solid and had the potential to be an awesome zombie flick, possibly even evolving into a franchise. Execution however was lacking from several aspects, the main one being cast and audience engagement. Die-hard zombie fans may find some enjoyment with this one while those who enjoy solid drama with their zombie may be disappointed.

With plenty of violence, gore, zombies, and some mild profanity this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2016
Reviewed: 2.11.17
Star rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Zombies, British Horror, Sci-Fi Horror

copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel