Now streaming on Amazon Prime
Director: Colm McCarthy
Starring: Sennia Nanua, Gemma Arterton
The Girl with all the Gifts is a surprisingly good take on the zombie apocalypse genre. It takes what is best about video game The Last of Us and combines it with the innovations that 28 Days Later brought to a stagnating franchise when it was released 15 years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to any fans of its peers.
The story follows Melanie (Sennia Nenua), a young girl who was born after the plague which created the zombie-like “Hungries,” as she is studied by Dr. Caldwell (Glenn Close) and Helen Justineau (Gemma Arterton) in a military complex in the U.K. The fungus that controls the brains of these poorly named zombies has a different effect on second generation subjects like Melanie and we follow that story to a somewhat predictable end. It is both an internal battle with Melanie’s humanity and hunger and between men and extinction.
It’s an interesting take on what would now be considered a tired subject. Despite the 3rd act’s somewhat predictability, there are some interesting narrative turns that reminiscent of I Am Legend. The acting is good and the effects don’t leave much to be desired. I would recommend seeing this while it is available on Amazon Prime.