Customer Reviews

Population 436

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A couple of friends and I rented some movies this past weekend, this being one of them. While I was skeptical at first about renting it, I soon found the movie to be entertaining. I won't bother with an overview of the plot, as others have covered that, but I will say that I found the movie to be well done, with the actors involved turning in solid performances. However, I would recommend renting this movie first before deciding to purchase it.

A guy from the census bereau visits the backwoods town of Rockwell Falls ; upon further investigation he realises that the towns population has remained at 436 for the last century.

Curious, he sets out to find out just how this has remained so for so long,in the process he falls for the village beauty who happens to be the love interest of the local Sheriff deputy and jealousy insues.

The town elders now have a problem...he makes 437 and the standard of 436 must remain.

This film is a definate recommend - it reminds me of The Village and The Wicker man.

Fifty miles past the end of nowhere lies Rockwell Falls, a self-styled perfect town that takes its solidarity, tranquility, and - above all - its equilibrium seriously. On the surface, it's a pleasant little town where everyone seems happy, crime is nonexistent, and you never have to look very far for your next piece of apple pie. It's a weird thing, though; the town's population never seems to change. It took a century for some genius at the Census Bureau to notice this oddity, but the bureaucracy finally decided to send someone out to investigate. Rockwell Falls doesn't cotton to strangers all that well, but the local leaders have little choice but to let Steve Kady (Jeremy Sisto), in to do his official government business. Everyone seems super-friendly to him, but it doesn't take him long to figure out that something is seriously wrong with this town. We the viewers learn early on just how Rockwell Falls keeps its population completely static, but it takes Steve a while to figure things out on his own.

Steve is stymied in his efforts to interview several members of the community; according to the mayor and local doctor, those citizens are currently suffering from "the fever." This fever isn't all that rare, but old Doctor Greaver is almost always successful at curing his patients one way or another. Steve eventually learns all about this fever, as well as the unique religious beliefs that form the basis of the town's peculiar way of life. The more he learns, the clearer it becomes that he is expected to become a permanent resident of Rockwell Falls. It's for his own good, really, as those who do attempt to escape the town are struck down by God himself. Steve doesn't buy that argument for a minute. He's determined to return to civilization as soon as possible, and he doesn't plan on leaving by himself, either. There's an orphan girl being treated for the fever by the good doctor, and a young lady named Courtney (Charlotte Sullivan) who wants out as badly as he does. I have to say I really liked the way this story played out, as the filmmakers chose not to play it safe - perhaps realizing that a formulaic ending would negate the effectiveness and atmosphere of the entire film. I really got a kick out of the final scenes. (The DVD includes an alternate ending, which I have not seen and cannot comment on.)

Population 436 never manages to become truly suspenseful, and it's certainly not scary, but it is surprisingly effective nonetheless. After the first twenty minutes or so, the pacing of the story is quite good, letting the true nature of this local society emerge gradually, and the acting of the entire cast (even Fred Durst) is another feather in the film's cap. As good as the film's basic concept is, this kind of story could easily have degenerated into something really silly, but director Michelle Maxwell MacLaren never allowed that to happen. I'm not saying that everyone out there would enjoy this film, particularly action-oriented horror fans, but I think a lot of individuals will be pleasantly surprised by it - and that includes young teenagers. For the life of me, I can't figure out why this film has an R rating - there are very few violent scenes (and none of them are the least bit gory), the language is quite pedestrian in nature (all of this takes place in a really gung-ho - albeit cult-based - religious community), and the film's one and only sex scene is tamer than many a scene you'll find on network television.

First of all, I am not a fan of the Wicker Man, and would not compare it with this movie at all thematically. I was, however, struck by a previous poster's comparison to "The Lottery", which I hadn't considered, but does seem to fit.

Rockwell Falls has an unusual method of population control, and a young census bureau employee is about to discover its secret. The journey is really part mystery and part melodrama, with a few supernatural chills thrown in for good measure. The picture does a nice job of setting up the storyline and characters without getting too bogged down in unnecessary side plots. There is little drama associated with the likely outcome of the movie from the outset, but the story is told quite well and the ending is satifying, if not predictable.

Going in to this movie, I had my doubts. Lately, there has been this large amount of sucky indie horror movies. I almost turned it off at first, before the movie played, just because I've wasted so much time on my life with crap like The Plague and Rest Stop. By the end of this movie, I wanted to stand up and cheer. It had suspense, mystery and the drama needed to make something exceptional. Sure, the budget wasn't big and this could have been done better with a few million more dollars, but for what they had, this is amazing work. Amazingly enough, Fred Durst even does a good job. I think his acting career will be a lot better than his music career. See this movie.

There exists a small town with a peculiar trait. According to census records the population has not changed for dozens of decades. Being a little slow, it is only now that the bureau decides to send someone out to check on the strange figures. Enter our friendly census agent who gets a flat tire as soon as he crosses the town line. The town gets few visitors so there are no hotels or boarding houses but a place is found. The residents are friendly enough but act a little strange not least of which is that they seem to expect him to start a new life there. But then he discovers that the figure of 436 is not an anomaly.

Now that the 436 figure is understood there is still the matter of getting out of town successfully. Not doing so could have dire consequences. But attempts to leave are always headed off and more dark secrets about the town are learned. It becomes more and more imperative to leave the town. But the big question is is there some other force other than the townsfolk involved? The answers may surprise you.

This is quite a good film. It quickly manages to give both the feeling of a tranquil small town as well as a feeling of impending doom (not easy to do). The ending is almost breathtaking. The revelations build nicely as this is a town of many disturbing secrets. This is a classic horror film that manages to work with setting and atmosphere to deliver its message without having to rely on violence, gore, or graphic death. A nice change of pace I really enjoyed but it may be too subtle for the gore-hounds. Check it out.

Good idea, this movie kind of reminded me of anothe film, Dead and Buried from years ago. A census worker goes into a town to investigate something he stumbled on, the town population of Pleasant Falls has always stayed the same. What he uncovers is a nasty bunch of people who decide they want him to stay and will electroshock him into changing his mind. This movie had an alternate ending that I preferred, but you can't have everything I guess.

Well, all the cliches of the classic thriller are here. The service people along the road to this isolated town turn away from you as you ask for directions. The fact that they are afraid to even speak of the town should give you a clue. Then once you find your way there, down an easy-to-miss gravel turn-off - the townspeople mount a superficial welcome. But if you're perceptive, you'll see there's a sort of "'Welcome to my parlor,' said the spider to the fly" quality to their smiles.

Then you'll find echoes of all sorts of other notable horror stories here. You may sense some twist on Shirley Jackson's famous short story "The Lottery" is in the offing. And there are definite echoes of "The Wicker Man."

But all these elements have become cliches precisely because they do work so well to build suspense. And they are good for one more go in this film. The fact that the insideous practices of a number of real-life fanatical, closed-society religious cults has become front-page news again lately, adds a touch of the topical to this film. It held my interest.

I felt as if I were myself being drawn in as a resident of the town - definitely not a good thing.

This movie has a great idea, a peaceful,idylic, backwoods town lives in harmony, but they have a terrible secret. A census taker soon visits the quite town and finds out he cant leave!

The story idea is a good one and the acting in this "B" horror film is far better than most and keeps the viewer hooked till the climax. After that, it doesnt take much to figure out the ending and wishing they would hurry up and get there.

Good points: Great story idea, decent acting, believable setting.
The Bad: little or no explanation as to Why the town has a secret, the ending is one you have seen a million times over.

Rent it, but dont expect much.

The basic idea of "Population 436," which is exactly what the film title says, sounds like one extended episode from "The Twilight Zone" or maybe "Star Trek." Some say they are impressed with the film's main idea, which I also liked. Another thing I can say about the film is that for all tis great idea its story might have worked better within the format of TV programs. "Population 436" is longer than it should be almost by 30 minutes, showing its hands too early in its storytelling, in fact, in its opening.

A census-taker Steve Kady (Jeremy Sisto) sent from Chicago is stranded in an isolated town of Rockwell Falls. He meets a young girl who is eager to listen to the world outside. He has a nightmare every night. He feels there's something strange going on in Rockwell Falls, where townspeople are all looking at him smilingly. All these things are familiar, but familiarity itself is not a big problem. But its poor storytelling is.

The film is directed by Michelle Maxwell MacLaren, whose previous works are mainly for TV, as producer. In spite of the film's decent photography and effective acting from the cast including Jeremy Sisto, almost everything is told in a wrong order. As I am not allowed to discuss the film's story in detail, I cannot reveal the premise of the film, of which implausibility is less damaging to the film compared with the slow-moving way it is revealed in the flat narrative. In other words, most people would predict what would happen quicker than the film thinks.

"Population 436" is a mildly entertaining thriller, of which clever idea is wasted by its half-baked script.