This movie is well done for such a low budget. I disagree with others regarding the camera work. It was shot well. The opening credit sequence was quite interesting and conveyed a sense of gloom and fear.
Yes, 99% of the movie takes place in the woods, but whether the story was written around that setting for budget reasons (or not) is moot: the setting is still used effectively, especially during the night scenes, in which the silhouette of a figure in the moonlight is striking or the beam of a flashlight searches for the source of a disturbing sound. My only criticism is the appalling use of CGI for a campfire.
Acting was tolerable, especially the elder sister. Where the movie fails is that towards the middle it departs from the "aliens attack" / "altered beings attack" plot to get bogged down in the tiresome survivor trope of "can we trust each other?", which gets somewhat boring. This is unfortunate, because the parts that deal with altered beings can be invigorating, such as the intense nighttime sequence on their return from getting water.
The altered beings themselves are quite intriguing - over time it seems as though they are not the mindless "zombies" we imagined, and that their behaviour follows certain rules and may include a hierarchy. Finally, their design seems to evolve, becoming more alien - colour, hands and the inexplicable white powder. I'm so curious as to what that represents, but more likely than not it was a design feature added as an afterthought to generate interest, since it is not explained in movie. Much promise wasted.
Yes, 99% of the movie takes place in the woods, but whether the story was written around that setting for budget reasons (or not) is moot: the setting is still used effectively, especially during the night scenes, in which the silhouette of a figure in the moonlight is striking or the beam of a flashlight searches for the source of a disturbing sound. My only criticism is the appalling use of CGI for a campfire.
Acting was tolerable, especially the elder sister. Where the movie fails is that towards the middle it departs from the "aliens attack" / "altered beings attack" plot to get bogged down in the tiresome survivor trope of "can we trust each other?", which gets somewhat boring. This is unfortunate, because the parts that deal with altered beings can be invigorating, such as the intense nighttime sequence on their return from getting water.
The altered beings themselves are quite intriguing - over time it seems as though they are not the mindless "zombies" we imagined, and that their behaviour follows certain rules and may include a hierarchy. Finally, their design seems to evolve, becoming more alien - colour, hands and the inexplicable white powder. I'm so curious as to what that represents, but more likely than not it was a design feature added as an afterthought to generate interest, since it is not explained in movie. Much promise wasted.