ericrnolan
"The Human Race" (2013) isn't really the under-recognized gem that I was led to believe it was — it's actually mediocre in some ways. The dialogue is downright bad, the acting is mostly below average, and the limited special effects budget definitely shows.It
still held my attention, though, thanks to a devilish story concept and some brutal plot turns. (Eighty diverse strangers are mysteriously transported to an isolated location, where powerful unseen entities force them to eliminate one another in a "race" to the death.) I do realize that there have been a spate of low- budget, "Saw"-inspired movies like this, and that this kind of story device should be familiar to horror movie fans by now.But there is some pathologically wicked story development here — consider, for example, that contenders include an elderly man, a pregnant woman and a veteran who has had a leg amputated. And while several contenders make heroic choices, several others take a sociopathic glee in eliminating their opponents. Writer-director Paul Hough might be terrible at writing dialogue, but he does know how to craft a surreal horror story with some horrific and unexpected turns. (Yeesh.)There is also a standout performance by Trista Robinson as a secondary character. (She is the more tenacious half of a deaf couple who are teleported and forced to compete.) In a film with little admirable acting, she still plays her role with skill and intensity. This is a talented actress.All in all, this is a flawed low-budget film that is still decent fare for a horror fan. I'd rate it a 7 out of 10.
ebs66
I liked the movie. Watched it 3 times, and each time I found something new and interesting. To me the movie serves as a metaphor for life. Its plot is a sanguinary and savage microcosm of our existence. Life is absurd. We (humans) go on, make plans, oscillate between depression and euphoria, etc. And then we die -- often often when we least expect it. The film does a superlative job of trying to abridge the complexity of human existence, with all of its violence, and to transplant it onto an alien world where an unknown entity, with the power of a demiurge, is hosting gladiatorial games. It is not until the very end that we get an oblique glimpse at the alien overlords monotonously giving participants combat instructions, but in all probability eagerly anticipating another act of their otherworldly bacchanalia.
Peter Hill
This film had a great idea but it suffers from inexperienced and self-indulgent direction and clumsy production values. Its a shame because in some ways this film is quite subversive and had the potential to be a cult classic. The unconventional casting (a disabled leading man, a deaf couple as major characters) flies in the face of the standard rule of horror flicks that all of the cast must be hot college kids with toned abs and flawless skin. The lengthy introduction of the teenage girl's back-story, immediately followed by the un-expected twist, mocks (perhaps unintentionally) the 'self-help and self-empowerment' ethos of present-day culture, instead bluntly reminding us that despite all of our best efforts in controlling our own destiny, death and misfortune can still be brutally random and unjust. However any valid points that could have been made about life and society are soon hopelessly lost in the gore and mayhem which is overdone. The scene with the young pregnant woman was too horrific, was not necessary and should have been cut. And the gang of three men's seemingly instant transformation into giggling, smirking psychopaths was not convincing (although I couldn't help but enjoy seeing them get taken down). True, people in such extreme situations would react and behave unexpectedly but surely they would not turn into lip-smacking killers so rapidly. The callously selfish jogger in the yellow t-shirt was sadly more believable in how people would likely react. Somewhere in here is an idea for a good film. With less gore, better direction and better production values, it could have been the 'Clockwork Orange' of the 2010s. Instead, its merely a sadistic messy student film.
bowmanblue
Have you seen 'Scanners?' Did you like the bit when the head explodes? If you answered 'Yes' to that then you should definitely watch 'The Human Race.' It's a film primarily about people's heads exploding (occasionally interspersed with the odd pick-axe through someone's neck). However, what little 'story' there is when brains aren't flying towards the camera, concerns a seemingly random group of people who get spirited away from their everyday lives, only to find themselves part of a twisted and lethal game where they have to race each other... or their heads explode.Think 'Battle Royale' or 'The Cube.' It's kind of like that (only with more exploding heads).And, believe it or not, it's actually quite good. Yes, there isn't much of a budget; what little money went into making this film was primarily spent on blood flying from holes in people's necks. Naturally, they couldn't afford and big names either, but it's still quite a fun little sci-fi/survival-horror film to watch. Any negative criticism that it seems to have attracted centres around a 'lack of story.' Yes, there's not much of a story, but there was there much of a story in Battle Royale? There's only so much of a story you can build around eighty people who have to force each other's head to explode in order to survive.If you like your films short, sweet and filled with decapitated bodies, then give this one a go.And remember... keep off the grass.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/
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