Customer Reviews

Isolation

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I went blind into `Isolation'. I must've read reviews on it before since I put it in my wish list, but I didn't remember anything about it. Honestly, I thought it was a Asian black haired horror movie because of the cover of the DVD. Then when I read the back (after already having ordered it), I was quite intrigued, but still thought it was gonna be another `so-so' movie.

To say the least, I was very surprised with this movie. Talk about a throw back to good horror. First off this movie doesn't treat you as a dummy. It assumes you can understand what is going unlike Hollywood who has to explain EVERYTHING nowadays. I absolutely loved that because it makes the movie seem more real, even though it's a monster movie. Second, the atmosphere was unbelievable. Another great throwback. The setting, the scenery, the lighting... all reminded me of some old great movies such as The Thing and Alien. I felt cold and wet. I could smell the cow manure. I could sense the feeling of being alone. And then there were the special effects. NO CG THANK GOD. Finally a movie goes back to the way a monster movie should be made. And it looked ever so real. The gore that was used was nicely and realistically done. The characters themselves were great also. Once again the movie doesn't tell you everything. And you know what, this is a horror/monster movie. Not a drama. I don't need to be told exactly what's going on these peoples lives. Just a little history and I'm good. And that's what is done here. We have our farmer (we find out that he used to be with the vet), our vet (who works for the scientist and MIGHT be involved with him), the scientist (who is crazy, or mad, or a genius), and two lovers (an interracial couple whose on the run from the girls brothers because her family doesn't like the guy).

And last but not least, we have the story. Not only is the story good, but the pacing of it is great. It, once again, reminds me a lot of older classics, and I can't help but, once again, think of `The Thing' and `Alien'. The reason why is because the pacing is slow, but not slow enough to bore you. They throw in certain things to keep your interest up and running. The movie doesn't just rush into it's monster. It takes its time with it. I love the fact that we are pretty much thrown into the middle of what's going on. The scientist has already done what he has done to the farmers cow, whether it was genetic engineering, or maybe cloning, I'm not sure, and I'm FINE with that. I don't care, because it was still interesting and left my mind wandering. The cow is close to giving birth already and the vet is there to check on her. She shoves her hand in the cow (I seriously couldn't tell if this was real or fake, and if it was real, wow... that actress really wanted that part..lol), and checks on the calf, only to get bitten. When the calf is born, you can tell there is something wrong with it right away. But there is even something more wrong with it than expected.

Was the movie perfect? Nah. Not really. There were a couple things that made me wonder why the heck would they do that (like the tractor scene in the water). But most of the movie was really well done. I thought the monster was interesting. You do see it, but not that great, and it looks weird. It wasn't very scary, yet at the same time it was. Mainly cause you know what it could do to you. And if I could change ONE thing about this movie, it would be how it ended. I wont ruin it for you, but I think they should've ended it where this one person was walking off...close scene...credits roll. We know what is going to happen after that because we are smart enough to know. The whole time in this movie you assumed this. Why give us a Hollywood ending where they have to tell you what's up... heh. But it doesn't ruin the movie, it's just that I didn't need it in there.

I highly recommend this movie. I also highly recommend you watch this at night and in the dark. And if it's raining outside, that would be even better.

Something has gone horribly wrong at the farm. Some shady scientists perform some fertility tests on a cow. And there are some disastrous results, to say the least.
Isolation is a unique, terifying little gem. I am very suprised this is relatively unknown. Everything is done exceptionally well--acting, pacing, script, effects--it all adds up to an entertaining, frightful good time for any serious horror fan.
(You popcorn horror fans stay away) 4.5 stars

As a previous reviewer has mentioned, there have been some pretty good offerings in the horror genre from Britain [The Descent]and yes, Ireland recently and Isolation is definitely worth a watch. The setting is a rural farm somewhere in Ireland I presume, and the cast of characters [human that is] is made up of Farmer Dan, a female vet, a scientist, and a young couple, Jamie and Mary [who are on the run from Mary's disapproving brothers]. The premise: the farm is the setting for a biogenetics experiment, and a cow births a genetically mutated calf...the rest of the story deals with the repercussions of this event. Though the plot seems rather simple, the story moves at a steady but suspenseful pace and the stalking of the prey [the humans & other cows on the farm] by the predator makes for compelling and scary viewing. Though there is some allusions to other movies like Alien, The Fly etc...I still found it to be quite an enjoyable and intelligent sci-fi horror flick that is worth a watch. The acting was credible and the effects sufficient in evoking a menacing atmosphere.

"Isolation" is one of the most riveting and frightening horror movies of the year, and one that retains a very real, believable air to it as it changes in tone from a kind of 'quiet' horror to a faster-paced, more apocalyptic tone. With movies like this one, it's hard to know how much to say: on the one hand, you want to give people enough to go on, on the other hand there's a lot to be said for going into this kind of film without too much foreknowledge. Starting off with a description of the opening acts should be safe.

The setting is an isolated farm in rural Ireland where special attention is being payed to a pair of pregnant cows. A lone man lives at the farm, but two scientists are dropping by regularly to check on the bovines, the result of some kind of deal the farm-owner seems to be wavering toward regretting. A pair of young lovers in a beat-up old van who seem to be on the run from something and have chosen the general vicinity of that farm as a place to lay low for awhile, also enter the movie at an early point and end up caught in the events that are about to take place. One night, the farm-owner is alone when one of the cows begins to give birth, a birthing about to go horribly awry.

The movie is in no rush to get to the mayhem, and builds with a pace that I guess could be compared to that of "Alien" or "The Descent". Very strong acting and excellent characterization do a lot to propel the story, and the interaction between different characters, even (in a nice touch) extending to the human characters and the farm animals. The guy who runs the farm, for example, starts off seeming rather curt and nonsociable, but he keeps slipping and showing a concerned, softer side toward the movie's other players, including the animals. He's like this old-fashioned breed of farmer, the kind who has names for and notices different mannerisms about each of the creatures he's got, and that also plays really well into the whole 'second thoughts' thing he's having about whether he should have gotten involved in what the company employing the main scientist, is working at.

The special effects are phenomenal, actually superior to an awful lot of movies that probably have fifty times the budget. Bob Keen, the same guy who headed up the effects department on the first couple "Hellraiser" movies, did a lot of the design here. (Keen also directed 1995's criminally underappreciated, Still-unavailable-on-DVD "Proteus", which is a movie I highly recommend to anyone who likes "Isolation")

This is essential viewing for any horror fan. Of all the lower-profile horror movies of the last few years (it only went theatrical in a handful of countries, and there only on a few screens) this is one of the best possible picks out there, and one of the ones that most richly deserved to join movies like "Saw" and "Exorcism Of Emily Rose" as global hits. 10/10

No mad killers! No crazy scientists! No demons rising from Hell! What were they thinking? This is a nice film that has some common folk trying to deal with something they don't understand and can't control. They react well to the situation. When I say well, I mean they react the way you might expect people to react. They are scared and confused. They are not a bunch of McGivers who come up with brilliant solutions. The scenario is science fiction with some kind of creature replicating itself inside cows and passing their off spring on to human hosts. In a way it does kind of become kind of standard fare in the last half hour of the film when they have to come to grips with the creature, but for the most part the focus of this film is the tension the various characters feel. There also is a spirit of humanity overcoming prejudices here, as not everyone welcomes the squatters who play a big part in the movie. The scene where the local constable advises the farmer to send the visiting couple on their way is very well done. The constable is obviously reflecting the prejudice of the locals and it seems cruel, but he does it so naturally that it almost seems right. His hate is in the right place if that makes any sense. Then there is tolerance on the part of the farmer and acceptance and then cooperation. This film works on a couple different levels, but most of all it works as just a dark, creepy horror flick that is very well done without big budget special effects. I would recommend a viewing of this to anyone.

"Isolation" has one of the more unusual hooks for a horror film you are ever likely to see. Dan (John Lynch) is running a remote (one might even say isolated) farm out in the Irish countryside, and he is worried about one of his cows that is about to give birth. So he calls up the town veterinarian, Orla (Essie Davis), who checks on the fetus by putting her arm, up to the elbow, into the cow. Then she gets bit, are first clear sign that something is not right on Dan's farm. It turns out that in an effort to make ends meet Dan has allowed his cattle to be part of a research project that wants to increase fertility and beef production as well. Just as it starts to look like the project is going to produce results, the cows gives birth to an unusual calf. For starters, the calf is born pregnant, and if you are suddenly reminded of the Tribbles from "Star Trek," you will not be alone, but you will be on the wrong track.

The risk is not just mutant monsters, but the threat of contagion, which at least resonates with memories of the threat of Mad Cow disease. Joinging the farmer and the vet are a geneticist, John (Marcel Iures) who gets to provide necessary explanations and explosition (plus being the most obvious victim for the beasties), and a young couple, Mary (Ruth Negga) and Jamie (Sean Harris), who are avoiding their parents by hiding out on Dan's farm. Now squatting will be the least of their problems since fooling around with Mother Nature always has disastrous results in horror movies.

The upside of this film is that director Billy O'Brien knows how to film a horror movie and to take advantage of the dark and dirty farm setting. The opening sequences does a nice job of setting the mood, which matters because this is a movie about killer cows. The downside of this film is that in the last half it is basically "Alien" with cows, not that there is anything wrong with that (Although my mind immediately went to the Howard The Duck story, "Hellcow," that appeared in "Giant-Size Man-Thing" #5, which involved a bovine vampire, complete with the cape). But as the movie goes along and gets less original and more derivative, it becomes less effective. I ended up rounding up on this DVD because it includes an earlier short work by O'Brien, "The Tale of the Rat That Wrote." Do not attempt to connect the dots begween this short and the featured film, just enjoy this DVD bonus.

The United Kingdom is evidently doing something right when it comes to horror. Over the past few years the UK has produced some terrific scare fests including the recent WILDERNESS and the international hit THE DESCENT; Isolation proves to be no exception. A taut well crafted horror thriller, the story is small, intriguing, and taughtly paced, the atmosphere rich, and palpable. Genetic mutation movies aren't really my thing; I'm not rabid about Sci-Fi or "mad scientist playing with nature" themes. However, Isolation balances these elements with an interesting blend of horror and human nature, is well filmed, and does quite a bit out of very little. The film isn't broad, doesn't flesh out it's characters a great deal nor bother to explain many things. Nonetheless, its riveting and manages to truly invoke a feeling of dread and yes, isolation.

Genetic experiments on an Irish farm unleash a vicious, mutant calf. Incredibly tense, bleak, scary and gruesome tale that transcends it's B-movie premise.Isolation

One of the better sci-fi/horror films I have seen in a while. The pacing was pitch perfect, and the acting was top notch. A must see for fans of sci-fi, horror, or X-files geeks.

In the September issue of Fangoria Magazine in the Video Eye of Dr. Cyclops section, Dr. Cyclops gives Isolation 3 1/2 eyeballs out of four and makes this film his video of the month selection and deservedly so. I highly recommend this to horror fans looking for something new.

The plot synopsis on the dvd jacket almost made this seem like it could be ridiculous and go over the top and get some laughs, instead the film and director take the material completely serious and actually attempt to scare the viewer with this film.

The setting for Isolation is just that an isolated farm in the cold boggy region of Ireland's countryside. The farm is owned by Dan played by John Lynch who is a no b.s Irishmen that looks a little like an older version of Luke Wilson. For extra money Dan allows scientific fertility experiments to be done on his cows by a doctor and the local vet Mary who we are to assume there is a history between Dan and her. These experiments are obviously not supposed to be taking place so what better place then Dans Isolated farm.
Earlier in the day Dan approaches two transients Jamie and Orla who are lovers and who parked there vehicle outside of Dan's farm, Dan harshly tells them to be out by morning, as nobody is to know what is taking place. However later in the night Dans cow goes into labor and with his phone down he needs to rely on these strangers for help and they do rise up. And Something goes terribly wrong with the calf.

In horror films there are a few negatives that can happen with character development either there isn't much therefore when something happens to our victims it is less shocking because we as viewers really don't care, know them or really like them hence the scares don't cut deep. Second the film takes most of the movie to develop the characters and the fans looking to be entertained with some carnage and gore get about 20 minutes of that usually at the end. In Isolation we like these characters, they seem totally real and could be any of us, things are implied of the characters but there are no in depth explanations or detailed back stories, the director is confident his viewers can fill that in themselves. So, subtly and slyly we get to know the characters and we care or are shocked if something happens to them, and these aren't well known actors where it's simply a shock if a movie star get s killed off early it's a shock because we don't want them to die.
So from the first five minutes we are taken in, as when the veterinarian sticks her hands up the cows canal to check on the test fetus she is bitten by the fetus which we learn later is pregnant itself! So horror wise we get our gore intertwined with these believable characters which can be attributed to solid acting performances all around.

To recap Billy O' Brian does a fantastic job directing solid talented actors with a sense of urgency and an incredible real feel and good atmosphere. We feel somebody has really messed up and something bad is going to happen and we care. With some scares left to our imagination but no lack of jumps, and blood, and gore. And a actually freaky creature keep an eye nearing the end when Orla is crawling through to find the creature and the figure we see lurking in the dark just ahead of her.
The scientist messes with mother nature and the experiment goes terribly wrong, now what is out there on this dark farm? What would happen if it were to get out? What happens if you get bit by one of these things? And What if someone that is bit has sex later on, and seeing it can splice with human dna what would happen to said person if they were to get pregnant and would there baby be normal? You'll have to watch and see.

Again, highly recommend to horror fans looking for something new to watch.