Well, now that I’ve managed to survive Toronto After Dark 2011, I have to get to writing about all the films I got to see. Opening night started strong with Monster Brawl, a film I really enjoyed, but the second night started on a slow note with Exit Humanity.
Coming in at just under 2 hours, Exit Humanity could have easily been 30 minutes shorter. The beginning alone seemed like 20 minutes of Edward Young (Mark Gibson) screaming over the loss of his wife, his son, and his horse at the hands, or teeth, of zombies. Gibson certainly does a great job at being upset. His performance is strong but it seems to be stretched to breaking after watching him cry, scream, yell, and consider suicide too many times to count. All that yelling is made even more pointless later in the film when Edward Young finally comes face to face with the person responsible for the zombies that killed his family, and he doesn’t really care anymore. So why did we have to listen to you scream about it for so long?
It’s hard to judge the kind of film this could have been. The pace is so slow that I have a hard time imagining it being exciting. It’s not terrible but you’re always left waiting for something. Things start to pick up towards the end but by that point you may be snoozing. Everyone involved does an amazing job in their roles, Mark Gibson, as I mentioned, is incredible as Edward Young. Dee Wallace and Bill Moseley also turn in great performances which is a little surprising when it comes to Moseley. I rarely find him entertaining in a film, but he does a great job as the villain General Williams. The only waste was Stephen McHattie as Medic Johnson. His dialogue is limited to grunts and groans, which got laughs from the crowd, but seemed to be a waste of his great talent.
Edward takes time to get up close and personal with a local zombie.
It’s so strange to not really enjoy a movie that looks great, has amazing performances, and includes the undead. I just can’t get by the pacing of the film. Someone needs to get in there with some scissors and cut a lot out. There’s way too much unnecessary walking, running, and screaming. There’s better ways to get the point across that would take a lot less time. I think this was the longest film at TAD this year, if not, it sure felt like it was! It’s too bad that a lack of editing is killing what this film could be.
Zombies roam the praries for something to eat.
So what’s left to say about Exit Humanity? Unfortunately, not much. The zombie action is a little lacking in the film, but at least they look cool. The acting is great but the story is a bit shallow and the film shifts plot ideas over time, causing the beginning of the film to become pointless by the middle. It’s just that the beginning seems to have been given so much weight and importance, only to be shoved aside in favor of the next major plot point. Some better editing would help this film greatly, lets just hope that someone takes it back into the editing room though.
In the shadows – Will
