Customer Reviews

Biophage

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have always been a fan of low budget movies, especially zombie flicks. However, Biophage was a let down. 2 stars is gracious. Acting was almost unbearable and the script at times feels like it was written by an infant. Sound quality in alot of scenes was clearly dubbed and poorly executed (noticable with embarassingly long breaks in dialogue that should have flowed smoothly). I caught myself saying "who in their right mind would say/do that?". Its a shame because the plot is unique, and the underlying tension between the doctor and soldier was brilliant, but camera work and directing took this movie from 4 stars to 2. Its worth a watch once so rent it if you love low budget zombie movies, but since I purchased it all I have now is another coaster for the coffee table. Ive never given a movie less than 3 stars, so obviously the other 2 reviews giving this movie 5 stars were planted there by people associated with the movie. Dont be fooled.

This movie was written, produced, directed, edited and reviewed by camera man Mark Rapp. The film starts out with a dream of a soldier, Sgt. Cain (Ron Marnich best known for his voice in the Black Dahlia video game as the cop in crime scene #3). He is having sex with Mrs. Julia Miller(Kristin Pfeifer, thanks for the nude scene). The problem was when they switched from the black and white dream scene to reality, they should have changed the film to color...Oh wait, the whole movie was in black and white, but the box displays colored pictures and never mentions it is in B&W. To save further money Aaron Jackson the executive producer played Dr. Bell (Cain's partner). I was confused early by some plot points. In order for these guys to talk to their base they have to stop in town and hook up to someone's satellite dish irregardless of the direction it was pointing, but when they leave town they can contact them without any such device. There are zombies on the loose, caused by a virus and there are people with natural immunities, but they take shots anyway.

The early sound dubbing issues start with the vehicle that wouldn't crank right away. The key turning didn't match the grinding noise. The bad dubbing didn't end there. The bad camera angels reminded me of the original "Night of the Living Dead", a classic I don't watch anymore because it is in B&W and has bad camera angels. I can't believe the director was a camera man...HEY! Put the camera on the guy who is talking!

The soap opera begins early. Julia had an affair with Cain. She is their contact voice at Mt. Bethel, but is married to the insanely jealous Dr. Miller (John Yost). Mt. Bethel looks like a small boarded up fire station. The obnoxious Dr. Bell berates Cain about Julia.

After they kill a guy who was a cannibal, rather than spend the night at his house, they opt to leave and spend the night by a campfire. They had planned at looking at his disabled vehicle, but didn't do that either. Nor did they "cannibalize" any useful items from the house, such as the powerful rifle and scope. The filler conversations were boring...and there are atheists in foxholes.

Our first plot twist** PLOT SPOILER ALERT** comes when the insanely Dr. Miller instructs Dr. Bell to kill Cain before they return, sort of a reverse Biblical Cain/Abel story with Dr. Miller as God or Satan. However this appears to be more coincidental as this symbolism is never fully utilized.

According to the movie the guys are headed SOUTH from the CDC (Atlanta) to Mt. Bethel (Pa.? unknown state) but have to pass through mountains. The terrain they transverse looks like the same area Cain has his dreams. Along the way they meet the Rev. Shearer (Steven F. Clark who is also the co-author and make-up man) and Bianca (Dawn Ali). WOW! They really saved money!

They had to shoot an external lock off the hospital door to get in. They closed the glass doors, did not lock them and the zombies were unable to enter. The search inside the hospital was long and boring with terrible background music which worked fine for the opening credits, but we need some variety.

The trip through the countryside was wasted. They could have made it a metaphor for the different aspect or phases of life or maybe the Major Arcana of tarot cards, or the four elements, or something from Greek mythology. Instead they wasted a lot of film.

Sometimes a lousy movie has a great ending to tie it together...this one does not.

The negative reviews were obviously written by people who only want glossy Hollywood-type movies, and if that's the kind of person you are, you probably won't like this film. But if you have an appreciation for low-budget films, understand the challenges facing an independent filmmaker with no resources, and can overlook a few technical shortcomings, you will be able to appreciate this film on its own merits. The film is obviously dubbed -- fine. So is Lucio Fulci's "Zombie," an acknowledged classic of the genre. The acting isn't exactly Oscar caliber, but that's pretty much to be expected in a no-budget movie, and I've seen far worse. Other reviewers complained about the lengthy dialogue scenes being boring. Well, they must not have much of an attention span, because I thought they were fine. One reviewer complained about the film being in black and white, saying that he doesn't like black and white movies. He lost all credibility with me when he said that. Yes, shooting in black and white is a cost-cutting technique, but in this case it was clearly also an artistic one, as the film really benefits from the high-contrast images and the deep blacks in the low-key scenes. After all, they had a steady-cam -- something you don't generally see in a no-budget movie -- and they put it to very good use. The comment that the camera work was bad is utterly ridiculous. This film actually had some very good camera work. There are some great long shots of the characters crossing a bridge and walking along a railroad track, moody high and low angle shots in the crazy guy's house and in the abandoned hospital, and well-staged tracking and gliding shots throughout. The dramatic tension between the lead characters is interesting, ties in with the overall theme of social decay, and builds to an effective and dramatic conclusion. This is by far a better film than something like "Meat Market," which was practically unwatchable, or even "The Dead Next Door," which was at least halfway decent. If you like low-budget zombie flicks, this is definitely worth your time.

this is so amazing! brought back to basics and kept everything true and interesting. the films that are made now a days need to take a lesson from this movie!

Wow. Let me just start out by saying that I was thoroughly blown away by "Biophage." I knew within a few minutes of watching it that I was going to dig it (of course it probably helped that we see a topless woman just seconds into it) and I wasn't wrong. It has an interesting plot, great characters, and a neat little twist at the end (as well as a powerful and moving final scene). I thought that it was without a doubt one of the best zombie movies that I have seen in quite a while, and that is saying something when you consider how many have come down the pipe in the last couple of years.

I do feel that I have to warn the hard core zombie fans out there about the film though. If you're looking for a violent, blood-soaked zombie flick where people are graphically ripped to pieces and eaten you may want to look elsewhere as I am not sure that "Biophage" is right for you. There are zombies in the movie and we see them eat a couple of people but overall that's not really what the movie is all about. There is more substance to it than just a series of scenes involving people being munched on by the undead. I love blood and guts in my movies as much as the next guy and consider myself a gore hound, but I was so into the story this time around that I wasn't bothered by the lack of gore, and as a matter of fact I really didn't even miss it at all.

I also want to point out the fact that it is shot in black and white, and while I thought it was cool (it helped give it the same feel as the original "Night of the Living Dead" in my opinion), I am sure some people out there won't share my opinion. I actually know people who won't watch a movie if it is in black and white because for some reason they have it in their heads that a movie just isn't any good if it isn't in color (which means they are missing many good movies such as the original "Psycho" and even "Clerks" just to name a few). I think that being in black and white works for "Biophage" as it gives it a distinct feel and I don't think it would have been as good had it been in color. If you are one of those people who won't watch a black and white film (and shame on you if you are) believe me when I say you need to get over it and check out this movie.

Though there are many things to like about the movie I think the best thing about it is the characters. Cain (Ron Marnich) is a great character that you care about and want to see survive. The same can be said for Bell (characters named Cain and Bell...hmmm...pretty close to Cain and Abell, don't you think?), as Aaron Jackson does a commendable job in the role (can you believe this guy was on the "Saved By the Bell" rip off "California Dreams" when he was younger?). Kristin Pfeifer is great as Cain's ex, Julia, and John Yost is decent as her husband, Dr. Miller. Most of the people Cain and Bell run into are pretty interesting, such as an old man (who looks just like George Romero) who invites them in for a less than appetizing dinner and the oddball Reverend Shearer (played by Steven F. Clark, one of the film's writers). Cutie Dawn Ali is good as Bianca, but unfortunately she doesn't have much screen time.

The only problem that I had with "Biophage" was that the sound is a little weird at times. It is obvious that they did a lot of voice over work (especially when it came to John Yost for some reason) and as a result the sound is less than perfect. There are also a couple of scenes where the dialogue is badly dubbed and it looks like a Godzilla movie at times. Other than the problems with the sound (which is minor at best) there is nothing else I can really look at in a negative light. Hell, even the zombie effects are pretty good which is pretty amazing considering the fact that the film was shot on a low budget.

Every once in a while you'll run across a movie that you've never even heard of at it turns out to be a hidden treasure. That is the best way that I can express my feelings when it comes to "Biophage," as it truly is something special. I heard that it was actually shot years ago and they had trouble finding someone to distribute it for them, which is a shame. It is a billion times better than crappy zombie flicks such as "Zombie Nation" and "House of the Dead" and I just don't understand why someone would have a problem distributing it. If you can find it check it out, I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by how good it is.