The Tank – Movie Review (3/5)

THE TANK is a new creature feature that belongs squarely in the horror and thriller genres. This is not a horror-comedy hybrid or anything close to it. Instead, it’s dark and gritty and definitely worth watching for genre fans. Read our full The Tank movie review here!

THE TANK is a new horror movie with a strong creature feature focus. And yes, the actual creatures are shown exactly as much as they should. That means you’ll get to see them in shadows and glimpses at first before getting a better look. The perfect way to build suspense and get the audience hooked.

Also, make sure you stick around for the end credits. There is an end-credit scene, which definitely opens up the possibility of more movies in this universe. For now, you can check out this original movie for a really solid creature feature.

Continue reading our The Tank movie review below. Find it in select theaters on April 21, and on VOD from April 25, 2023.

All the right moves

From the very beginning of The Tank, this horror movie has a lot going for it. In fact, I got a distinct The Conjuring vibe as there’s a focus on a loving family, who moves to a new home where things turn scary. And pretty damn fast!

Of course, The Conjuring is all about the paranormal and demonic, and The Tank definitely is not. It’s a creature feature and proudly so!

Maybe it’s also that the story is set in the 1970s. This is when the happy (but financially struggling) family in The Tank inherits a remote and long-abandoned coastal property in Oregon. Unfortunately, there’s a reason why it was both abandoned and kept secret.

Once the family (mother, father, and young daughter) moves in, they awaken a horde of ferocious and deadly creatures beneath the house.

The casting and creature effects

The family at the center of The Tank consists of the mother, Jules, portrayed by Luciane Buchanan. You may recognize her from the Netflix series The Night Agent where she plays a very different role. The father, Ben, is played by Matt Whelan (The Luminaries). And yes, both actors are from New Zealand – just like the director.

You’ll also see a few supporting actors in The Tank. Some just in brief appearances. Others will suffer seriously when confronted with the creature at the heart of this story. It does get quite brutal!

The Academy Award-winning special effects supervisor and creative director Richard Taylor created the creature effects. Of course, he didn’t do this all on his own. His team at Peter Jackson’s VFX studio Weta Workshop worked with him on this. The result is as you’d expect; The creature has an impressive presence and looks awesome!

Watch The Tank in select theaters or digitally!

The Tank is both written and directed by New Zealand filmmaker Scott Walker. He previously wrote and directed The Frozen Ground starring Nicolas Cage, Vanessa Hudgens, and John Cusack. That movie came out in 2013, so it’s taken ten years for his second feature film to come out. I really hope we won’t be waiting another decade for his next movie.

For me, The Tank has a lot of what worked really well for a horror director like Neil Marshall in his earlier movies. In other words, I have high hopes for whatever comes next from Scott Walker.

This dark and gritty creature feature works surprisingly well in most ways, so genre fans should make a point of seeking it out. If you can, then I’d recommend watching it in a movie theater. However, it’s also a solid watch digitally, which is how I watched it.

The Tank opens in select theaters on April 21 and digitally on April 25, 2023.

Details

Director: Scott Walker
Writer: Scott Walker
Cast: Luciane Buchanan, Matt Whelan, Zara Nausbaum, Regina Hegemann, Jack Barry, Holly Shervey