Surreal and nerve-wracking. A horror movie that really works

Rating: 9/10 (5 January 2015)

This film passed me by until recently when i caught it on DVD. From the opening frame however, i found myself locked into it and remained so throughout. When the first creature appeared however, I nearly rolled my eyes in despair as it seemed a bit too obviously CGI, but it quickly got better very quickly and the rest of the creatures were extremely effective and really quite terrifying. Many people on here have commented upon the ending and i have to say that it caught me by surprise and was very shocking and upsetting. I do however feel it was a bit rushed but can appreciate the dilemma the director was under as if he had dragged it out it would have lost a lot of its impact, so it was a rather brave move on his behalf. My main gripe is in thomas janes wooden performance. He kinda gets away with it throughout the film but the ending needed more passion and anquish and he didn't doesn't produce it. The ending therefore is both flawed and very effective. It certainly stays with you after the film has ended though thats for sure.
What i loved about this film was the ultra-surreal and dark atmosphere it captures. The grainy looking cinemaphotography and hand-held camera work has much to do with this and a fine job was done by those guys. The sense of hopelessness is palpable and the image of the gigantic creature walking across the landscape, in combination with the stunning musical soundtrack, has surely got to be the most Gothic moment ever created in a film. A real 'end-of-the-world' scenario which is extremely gripping and moving. All in all then, apart from a few gripes, this is a really interesting piece of work and highly recommended.