Island Zero – Movie Review (2/5)

Island Zero is a low-budget monster movie – but we don’t really get to see the monsters. However, there’s a very logical reason for this!

And once the attack begins, it comes from an invisible source.

Of course, the monsters aren’t actually invisible in Island Zero, but they are hard to see with the naked eye. This is a rather brilliant way to keep the budget in check. Instead of making a hideus CGI monster, the focus is on what the monster does to the human body.

Well, safe to say, it’s extremely violent and results in immense amounts of blood.

You can watch the trailer for Island Zero right here or continue reading our review below.

The story of Island Zero

At first, nobody realizes that an attack on the small island has begun. Instead, everyone is simply wondering why the daily ferry suddenly doesn’t show up.

With more than 40 miles to the mainland shore, nobody is sure what to do. Though honestly, this was my first issue with the story; Everyone waiting for the ferry seems to have just one bag or a small suitcase. Nobody has a car they need to take with them to the mainland. So why the need for any ferry?

Since we’re on an island located more than 40 miles from everywhere else, there are plenty of smaller boats and ships around. After all, the locals tend to be fishermen. They could just sail.

For some reason, it takes very long for anyone to consider the fact that the ferry isn’t the only way off the island. They literally run out of fresh food – with just days until Christmas – but nobody considers simply sailing away when the ferry doesn’t show up?

Nope, instead, they head to the local diner for a BLT without lettuce or tomato, because none is left. And the bread isn’t doing well either. This is just a few days into “ferry-gate”.

Any real-life islander watching Island Zero must be rolling their eyes at this. Once again, Christmas is right around the corner and they’re out of pretty much everything. Doesn’t exactly sound like a very Merry Christmas.

The lack of common sense

In general, the audience need to not think too much about anything. Like why the dad and stepmom of a 12-year old girl leave the child home alone. Not that we see the child being alone. We just see pretty much everyone else still on the island being together, and the girl isn’t there. The only logical conclusion is that she’s been left at home.

Oh, and the power and a backup generator are out, so no electricity either. Sounds like fun for a kid. Especially one that wasn’t raised on an island or anything.  Again, this isn’t something mentioned in the story, but it certainly got my attention.

In the next scene, we literally see her sleeping halfway underneath the Christmas tree while her dad and stepmom cuddle on the couch. It’s all very strange and seems like maybe an important scene was left on the proverbial cutting room floor.

Also, if you read the little blurb about me at the bottom of this page, you’ll notice there’s a certain ploy, I absolutely hate. Island Zero leads with this particular plot device. It is literally the opening scene. It’s lazy and unnecessary.

Laila Robins and Teri Reeves to the rescue

There are some good elements in Island Zero and they primarily feature Laila Robins (Mr. Mercedes). Laila Robins plays the role of Maggie. She’s a doctor who works temporarily on the island while they search for a permanent solution.

Maggie is also the hero of this story. She keeps calm and tries to help in every way she can. However, she isn’t used to island-living either, so she relies on the locals to come up with help as well.

I’ve seen Laila Robins in quite a few things and she always delivers. To me, she is the saving grace for Island Zero – even though her character also does and says some strange things. Another saving grace is Teri Reeves. She portrays the stepmom, I mentioned earlier and is all heart. She seems strong and capable, but Teri Reeves’ character doesn’t feature nearly enough in Island Zero.

Tess Gerritsen wrote the script for Island Zero while Josh Gerritsen directed the film. I do actually feel the movie has great potential, but they’re in dire need of someone asking the critical questions to weed out those pesky plot issues. If that happened, I can imagine some very interesting productions from these two in the future.

Island Zero is out on VOD May 15, 2018.

Details

Director: Josh Gerritsen
Writer: Tess Gerritsen
Cast: Laila Robins, Adam Wade McLaughlin, Teri Reeves, Matthew Wilkas

Plot

A fishing community on a remote Maine island finds itself suddenly cut off from the rest of the world after the ferry stops coming. When people start to vanish, the terrified survivors realize that someone – or something – is hunting them.