Opening with a quote from the Book of the Revelation, Evilution’s story appropriately begins at a U.S. Army Research Facility somewhere in Iraq. Where a very frightened U.S. Army researcher is being pursued by some very energetic undead test subjects. It’s clear from the start that these are not the shambling living-disabled, but more the hyperkinetic “Jump Around” breed. As they hop about growling (in what might be considered a poor parody of Zack Snyder’s feral face-munchers) our lowly scientist doesn’t stand a chance; he’s hemmed-in and chowed down upon rapidly.
The commotion spreads until the alarm is sounded, and another researcher, Captain Hall (Eric Peter-Kaiser), exits the facility and moves rapidly to a Humvee and attempts to vacate the area. Stopped by guards at the gate the blood-spattered Doctor is found to be carrying a glowing orange serum marked with a biohazard label, but the U.S. Army’s patent protection is interrupted by a bunch of lively undead. (One of whom actually executes a backflip during the good Doctor’s escape.) Cut to a bomb bay miles above, and the experimental outbreak is quickly quelled by a nuclear flash.
In America some time later Dr. Hall, somehow alive and well, is renting a basement room in one of the worst, most neglected, and most poorly decorated apartment buildings in Los Angeles. (Nice nod to Exorcist III in some of the graffiti, though.) Doc is going by the name of Darren Tyler now, after his dead mentor, and the questionable building manager formally welcomes him to The Necropolitan.
And, once our protagonist moves into the dump, the movie slows down considerably for some lengthy story development. To sum up: Apartment proves to be shittier and shittier; local posturing gangbanger types give bad attitude (incredibly annoying, although Guillermo Diaz and Noel Gugliemi probably have more credits between the two of them than the rest of the cast and crew put together); desperate neighbor Maddie (Sandra Ramirez) with the chimichingas and big backyard gives it up; and the U.S. Army’s failed “army of the dead” experiment continues to haunt Doc.
In fact, the military still has an inherent interest in the errant Dr. Hall, and in the ‘contraband’ of which he is still in possession. Which is the same serum he uses to bring gangbanger Random (Gugliemi) back to life after a drive-by. And which the local limey junkie (nicely played by Billy Morrison) steals and shoots up. Soon enough The Necropolitan is a necropolis, and zombies are all over the fucking place. Much growling and biting ensues: people die, they come back hungry and over-animated. There is a mildly funny scene in which an older woman in a fuzzy pink jumpsuit beats off a zombie with an 80-ounce bottle of Arm & Hammer laundry detergent, but mostly it’s, well, what it is.
The real excuse for the whole epidemic becomes clear when Sergeant Collins (Tim Colceri) is sent by the Army to track Doc down. See, there was “an extraterrestrial lifeform” with a “hatred for mankind” who was “weaponized” and whose very last life essence, the same shit Doc’s carrying around in a bottle, is considered a serious terrorist threat. The “specimen” isn’t actually killing its victims but possessing them, and what Doc is simply trying to do through his reckless experimentation is “win back its trust.”
As that lofty sci-fi discourse is taking place, Maddy is being bitten by her brother Random, the other zombies are prowling the hallways actually knocking on doors trick-or-treat style (interesting how in a building in such a violent low-rent neighborhood people actually open their doors every ten minutes to see what kind of disturbance is taking place), and there’s a fair amount of “black discharge.”
Add some bad drama and dialogue, an unusual coincidence involving pool supplies and condoms, some unnecessary zombie calisthenics, a quote from Frankenstein, and there you have it.
Not the worst zombie movie ever made, but a far cry from the best. The picture is very well produced, and visually very sharp. The direction, editing and camera work are all good, but the story isn’t always well executed. There’s a lousy soap opera quality to the script which wastes a lot of time in the development of characters you don’t really care about anyway, and the real meat of the picture, the zombie action, isn’t nearly as gory or scary as it should be. And the explanation for the reanimation, way too complex. There are a few gratuitous boob shots, and some fairly impressive stunts in places, but it just isn’t enough. Plus, it’s all marred by some terrible, terrible soundtrack music. For a $500K film I had really hoped for more. Another flick that took multiple sittings to get through.
– Tom Crites
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
