Review of Pontypool (2009) by Drew G — 15 Dec 2010

Pontypool is a Canadian horror film which chronicles a viral outbreak occurring in a small rural town. The entire film is set in a radio station from which details regarding the outbreak are received and then broadcast worldwide. The cinematography is first-rate with a strong performance from that Loyalist Senator in 300, Stephen McHattie. The story is at first both engaging and chilling however takes a turn for the worse about half-way when it becomes confusing and just plain disappointing. This movie may be worth it to you in the end for its originality and entertaining first 45 minutes however be warned that the casual viewer and critic will be disappointed.

The rest is Spoilers so stop reading if you haven't seen the film! Firstly, I found the performance by McHattie to be quite good, he in fact carries the attention of the viewer single handedly through the first half of the movie. The slow introduction of new information and the build-up of fear was done very well and set the stage quite perfectly. At one point however, it became frustrating to hear the description of the attacks without being able to see them. At this point the claustrophobia in the film actually became more annoying than anything else. Just when I was expected the visual horror to begin, the doctor magically arrives and brings more confusion to the story than explanation. It also didn't help that his performance was so bad it distracted from his scenes. His lack of emotion gave the film an air of the "low-budget" that I was expecting from the start. The long awaited explanation of the virus and its origins were indeed original but confusing and "out of left field" comes to mind. Unless I missed something major, the film had far too many holes in the story-line, and left way too many questions unanswered. All aside, before the last 15 minutes or so I was content and entertained but in the end was left very disappointed. I think if given the opportunity for a remake, the story could be a real winner, it puts a fresh, creative twist on the zombie genre, and we all know how much people love zombies! Just fill in the holes, provide an attractive female lead, and give it some action and you'd be good to go!