Gemma Arterton Glenn Close Sennia Nanua Paddy Considine
Yes, she has many gifts, including that of
cunning. Melanie (Nanua) is a
survivor of a fatal fungus infection that has spread around the world, but she
is immune to the disease, along with a group of other children. Unlike most of the zombies with the
fungus, these children can think, reason, and care about other people. The kids have all been gathered up by
Dr. Caroline Caldwell (Close) for her research; she is sure she can create a
vaccine that will save everyone.
The problem is that she is deficient in ethics and grandiose in
ambition, so has no qualms about using the children’s bodies for the vaccine. The children are sent to school, but
they are bound up in wheelchairs and staff has been instructed never to touch
them or even consider them as human beings. They’re referred to as ‘it’ and ‘thing.’
One of the teachers has a problem with this,
especially regarding Melanie, whom she regards as a very special child who
needs support and encouragement more than containment. Melanie, in turn worships Miss
Justineau (Arterton). She is a
very bright, polite, and creative student whom Miss Justineau comes to
trust.
Through a series of events, the two end up
being rescued by Dr. Caldwell and her Sergeant, Parks, and two other soldiers
from mobs of zombies that have stormed the military base and are attacking
anyone alive for a tasty meal.
Caldwell is still determined to complete her work with Melanie’s brain
and spine, so is doing everything she can to protect her. The group escapes in an armored truck,
but must make their way to a point of safety, picking up supplies judiciously
along the way.
Melanie is a big help numerous times, since she
can go out in the open (the zombies won’t eat one of their own) for supplies
and for reconnaissance. The
situation comes to a climax when swarms of children like Melanie descend on the
group, and Dr. Caldwell feels forced to take matters into her own hands and
harvest what she needs from Melanie.
This situation gives the film more depth in its ethical dilemma of how
much one member of society can be pressured or forced to sacrifice him-herself
for the good of humankind.
There is plenty of suspense in this thriller directed
by Colm McCarthy, based on the screenwriter Mike Carey’s novel. Sennia Nanua as the always sharp,
well-socialized Melanie, is a joy to watch, especially at the end, when she
makes a cogent argument using sound logic. Glenn Close, known for her eerie, sinister female roles,
comes through perfectly as the gentle-tongued older woman with seething
ambition. Paddy Considine and
Gemma Arterton are also perfect in their support roles of basically normal, thoughtful
people interested in giving their jobs their best.
An updated zombie movie with an
interresting twist at the end.
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