Infestation (2009)

There are so many different versions of the end of the world isn't there? Zombie apocalypse, asteroid, Rapture, machines, end of civilisation, virus, nature, and so on. This one is the bug kind. And no, Brooke Nevin does not wear that outfit or wield a gun. Unfortunately.

Cooper (Chris Marquette) is at work one day when a high pitch scream knocks everyone out. Cooper wakes up a couple of days later to find everyone has been cocooned in webbing by what appear to be giant bugs.Upon waking others, including his boss' daughter Sara (Brooke Nevin), Hugo (E. Quincy Sloan) and his father Albert (Wesley Thompson), and weather woman Cindy (Kinsey Packard), Cooper and his new found allies try to survive the now bug infested world.

I must admit I was quite surprised by this. The story feels more like a George A. Romero movie than your standard monster movie. Granted the film doesn't focus around the group waiting it out in one location, though that is their ultimate aim; to get to Cooper's dad's (Ray Wise) house since he has a bunker. No it's more a bunch of ragtag survivors learning to trust one another and to cooperate to combat a threat to their way of life, to learn how to operate in a world where most of the every day things we use are no longer applicable. Even the origin of the giant bugs isn't really explained, like the zombies from 'Night of the Living Dead'. The general assumption, and there is one giant hint towards that assumption, is that the bugs are from space. It's just a surprisingly nice feel to it, and with some twists it's a learning curve not just for the characters, but for the audience as well. You're not entirely sure what will happen next; okay they're bugs, some of it is obvious, but at the same time you will be guessing too.

Actually I might as well get it out the way, the bugs do look pretty good. They're not the best in the world, but they do still look very effective. They do look like they're there in the room with the characters, but they've got...I don't know, a certain B-Movie feel to them, I think that's what I like about them more than anything else. The bug drones also look really good and definitely creepy, especially a drone which has a comedic moment with a dog's squeaky toy.

The acting certainly doesn't let it down, and the praise has to go to Marquette. He absolutely carries this film, adding both charm and humour, but can also be serious whenever needed. Nevin does exactly what is needed with her character, portraying a strong woman but with a kind personality as well as intellect and beauty. Ray Wise also adds his own sense of comedy to the script, and sometimes steals the scene. Packard does a good job as Cindy, helping to add a lot more depth to her character than you think, while Sloan and Thompson do great bringing the emotional bits to the film.

My only real criticism of the characters is that I didn't actually see more of them in the film. This film goes out of its way to develop the characters to make us feel attached to them, we learn quite a lot about them in such a short time. Cindy in particular appears to be emotional and crazy, but when you really look at her you can see a manipulative and dependent person. She is so used to getting her way, that when the bug apocalypse happens, she has no idea what to do; this is obvious when she initially wants to go with the character who appears to be a natural born leader, before changing her mind to go with Cooper who seems more...competent, before changing her mind again when she sees the other guy's plan is actually working, then back to Cooper.

At the end of the day, this is a fun film to watch. The film is funny, it's got action, terrific acting, some great characters, some really interesting and good creature designs, there's a few flaws but nothing that would ruin this film.

Well. Except one thing.







Spoiler Section

The ending. I've been complaining about endings a lot haven't I? Well, after a very enjoyable film, we have Cooper, Sara, and Hugo are talking about how they haven't seen a bug in ages. They hear a rumble, see something, comment on it....

The end.

Yeah, it just ends. We don't see what it is, we're not told what it is, the film just ends. This is either help, or more bugs. Either way, this was an awful way to end the film. It's good as well, it leaves the audience wanting more, but it leaves the film feeling incomplete, it leaves the film to sequel baiting. Some films can pull it off, this film did not execute it right.