Toshisnowtoe I don't need to summarize the series/film. That's been done enough in other reviews. I'm surprised by the low score on IMDb, so I thought I'd add my 2p to the bucket. Clearly, Residue has a limited appeal. It isn't full of heart pounding action or gore and it is deliberately disorienting and the vacillations in the plot are subtle. My impression from the reviews here is that viewers do not like disorienting and subtle.**very minor spoiler here in the first sentence only*** It's true that, as many have said, a number of things, such as the nature of the threat, are not explained, but that is part of the storytelling. You, the viewer, need to be doing your own detective work - this is not passive television. Nonetheless, if you like J.G. Ballard (aside from Empire of the Sun), you'll get this. In fact, if you are at all intrigued by Residue, I'd recommend you read Ballard's story called "Chronopolis." As far as genre is concerned, this is sci-fi/horror. Heavier on sci-fi than on horror. It's also a bit of a detective story.Acting: I had no problem with it. Natalia Tena - Tonks from Harry Potter if you prefer - is good as is Iwan Rheon. Rheon's boss is a bit one-dimensional, I suppose, but even she showed some signs of cracking near the end, so perhaps her performance is deliberate. Some complained that they don't like the characters - that's a critique I'll never understand. I don't think there's a likable character in The Office (the original version), but it's still good. So, if you need to like characters to get into a television show or film, then you might think twice about Residue. Everyone is a bit cold and distant...but not for reasons that can't be explained.Setting: One review said something about the setting being somehow Asian. I don't know where that comes from. This was shot in Leeds as far as I can tell, most of the actors sound like they're from Manchester. The film feels noirish though, so maybe the reviewer thought of Bladerunner? Production values: Worth commenting on the fact that the values are pretty good. If you're familiar with the British series called Utopia, I'd say Residue's production values are certainly within that range. Maybe not quite the same degree of obsessiveness about the setting, but close enough to be reminded of it.In all, I'd say if you like your television hot, Residue is not what you want. If you like it cool, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did. (the hot and cold/cool thing, read Marshall McLuhan)

lepperkonn Residue is a short series consisting of 3, 42 minute-ish episodes. There are 7 characters that matter, and "matter" in itself is a stretch. Basically there is an alcoholic and presumably drug-addict-cop. Who sits in his car wasted on new years eve. Then you have the happy- celebrating-couple who are drinking and kissing for new years eve. The daughter of the cop calls the father (who doesn't answer because of his incoherent state passed out in his car) then an explosion happens and it cuts to the happy couple in the apartment who in a very sexual moment get interrupted by the sound of an explosion. What a buzz kill. Then you have the face of the cover-up, an Asian-ish looking woman who sucks. It then cuts to about a month later. The blast radius has now been "quarantined." You get to see the completely stereotypical alcoholic cop dealing with his loss by drinking more. What a fu**ing surprise. Except his story isn't cool, and he isn't cool, or a good actor, at all. The aforementioned happy couple consist of the woman who is a photographer who is taking pictures of people "affected" by the aftermath of the explosion, and the man who is actually the PR guy for the government trying to cover up the cause and/or real reason behind the explosion who is the assistant to the Asian lady who sucks. Which all sounds pretty interesting for the first 33 minutes. The cop is convinced that there is more to everything than the media is letting on, and so does the woman photographer, although these are separate story lines. The cop alcoholic gets information from a seemingly homeless black kid who pick-pockets wallets off the street about a guy mouthing off about the explosion on new years eve. So the cop goes after this guy who was supposedly "mouthing off" about the explosion. He stabs him in the hand after insulting him telling him he better get some information the next time he see's him. Later it cuts to a random red-head who seems to have a passion for ripping off his reading glasses really hard indicating frustration. He is the guy basically high up in the government that is trying to contain the situation. The "bad guy." He is informed by the alcoholic cops captain that this alcoholic employee is asking the right questions and therefore needs to be taken care of. Later on it cuts to the thug that got stabbed in the hand who gets killed by the police captain for the purpose of framing the alcoholic cop, thus solving that problem for the higher ups. The alcoholic cop is arrested and presumably taken into custody and that is the end of that storyline. As for the photographer woman. She spends about an episode and a half doing the same thing. Walking around taking pictures and saying something is going on and no one knows what it is. Eventually coming to the conclusion (that is never actually specified or talked about) that it is something supernatural or "ghosts" While her boyfriend grows more and more suspicious about the people he works for and the credibility of the story they are telling the public. So he decides to sneak into the quarantine zone of the explosion that took place. He ends up getting shot but gets medical attention apparently from the people within the quarantine zone that never left. The girl finds the boy and they are super happy for like 24 seconds. Then the army busts in. She tells them they all need to run to the border of the quarantine zone and tell the army that they are survivors and that the government has been lying, they absolutely disagree but end up doing that anyway due to the army finding them and start shooting. So they run to the border and the media immediately starts filming them so the army stands down. It then cuts to a press conference by the Asian woman who sucks saying that the people who were seen coming to the border were exposed to "highly contagious substances" and were therefore in isolation for the public safety. It then cuts to the lone woman photographer strapped to a bed in the middle of a big building courtyard of some sort with the red-headed-glasses-ripping-off-with- conviction- bad-guy who asks her why she was immune to the "ghost" attacks. She says she wants to see her boyfriend and he basically laughs and says she'll tell him what he wants to know one way or the other. The 3 episodes were absolutely a chore to get through. The storyline is EXACTLY 28 weeks later except with stupid black shadow ghosts, less credible actors, and even less credible ACTING. Do not watch this mini-series. Just watch 28 weeks later. You'll get the exact same story except you'll enjoy it exponentially more.

bbriddell There were a couple of moments when I thought; hey now the story is starting. Brief sparks, then there was stuff that went on. It's like the writer had a paragraph for this film and then bloated the rest out with fluff.The acting was fine, seemed like there was money put into this. Filming , scenes, locations.The one thing missing was an actual connecting point for the audience that would have resembled a story worth watching. I watched in 20 minute increments as nothing was going on in a story sense and I figured at some point it might pick up. After one hour and 26 minutes I jumped forward eight minutes to watch the ending.If this is the "pilot", then obviously alienating the audience isn't a good way to have future viewers.

benzinemw What an appalling movie. Terrible acting, script, effects, plot. From the appalling stilted acting to the exaggerated Scottish accent of the so-called gang leader to the idiot tout strolling around with a haversack on his back and a leather pilot's helmet on his head, it was like watching a badly made you tube clip. I have seen better all round from my local amateur drama group. This movie is so bad I had to watch it just to see if there was any redeeming features about it. No such luck. Films like this make the best argument there is for censorship. Thank the Gods for fast forward, it saved me an hour less wasted. I really must control my masochistic tendencies. I give it a rating of 1 simply because I can't give a 0. If you have any love of movies, DO NOT watch this one.