Zygote (2017) Reviews

• Zygote: Damn fine effort

  Platypuschow2017-08-29

  Zygote is a short scifi horror film with outstanding production values and led by Dakota Fanning. The first thing you notice is how good it all looks and sounds, this is a film with money and talent behind it and it shows. Telling the story of two survivors of some horrific event in a base while being stalked by a gigantic creature seemingly made up of the body parts of its victims. Though it does only stand at around 20 minutes and therefore isn't an entire story it does entertain regardless. I would love to see a full length version of this, a sequel perhaps?! The Good: Monster looks incredible Dakota Fanning is actually on decent form Fantastic production values The Bad: Messy plot

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• A visually appealing and imaginative Sci-Fi/Horror short film

  TheTopDawgCritic2017-07-13

  *** This review may contain spoilers *** Director/writer Neill Blomkamp did a wonderful job directing this visually appealing and imaginative Sci-Fi/Horror short film. Clearly this type of film is in his wheelhouse having directed the likes of Chappie, Elysium and District 9 - all in my top favorite films of all time. His imagination in the creation of the creature was unusually pleasant and creepy - mission accomplished, although I may have chosen a different sound for the creature other than sounding asthmatic. Dakota Fanning's character and performance as Barklay was on point and very well executed. However, Jose Pablo Cantillo's character as Quinn was a little overboard - in the characters dialogue and in his acting. The plot certainly had many holes, the biggest being how everyone died, including soldier Quinn. Yet Barklay, just a young girl with little combat experience managed to take the creature down all on her own with just a handgun, and managed to make it to the protected 'safe room' where no one else with access was able to do so. So although the directing, cinematography/VFX, editing and sound/score were all great, it fell short for me on the writing. Nevertheless, certainly enjoyable for a time-limited short film, and I recommend this to all who enjoy a good sci-fi horror. It's an 8/10 from me.

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• Comparison to Carpenters The Thing is inevitable but this movie really succeeded where the remake failed. It is claustrophobic, tensed n fast paced.

  Fella_shibby2017-11-05

  Recently been on a spree of revisiting Tales from the crypt on Youtube. Was searching for a short horror film n when i saw the name of Neill Blomkamp, i was totally interested in checking this out. The 22 minutes was worth it. Comparison to Carpenters The Thing is inevitable but this movie really succeeded where the remake failed. It is claustrophobic, tensed, fast paced, superbly acted n directed. The film is set in the mining colony in the Arctic circle. We r told that outta 98 crew only two r remaining. One of em is wounded n blinded n the other a frightened junior female crew member. The monster/thing is made up of body parts of the dead members. There is no safe chamber or place to hide as the monster has the fingerprint ids of all the doors. The creature was terrific though.

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• "The Thing" and Dakota Fanning...

  paul_haakonsen2017-08-29

  Running at just over 20 minutes, then "Zygote" was initially a movie that I would have passed on, as I am not keen on short films. But I read the synopsis for it and found it to be sounding like it might actually be worth the time and effort. And let me be the first to say wow! "Zygote" turned out to be a rather entertaining and thrilling short film. I must admit that writers Thomas Sweterlitsch, Terri Tatchell and writer/director Neill Blomkamp had put together something quite good. Sure, this was blatantly an imitation of "The Thing", but that hardly mattered, because "Zygote" in your face from the very beginning. There wasn't any tallying about. And with a cast that included just two people, Jose Pablo Cantillo and Dakota Fanning, then there was a certain amount of pressure riding on the two performers. It should be said that they did perform quite well and carried the movie phenomenally. It was a rather nice surprise to see Dakota Fanning in a movie such as this. The creature was rather interesting and it definitely came off as being realistic given the impressive CGI used. So thumbs up for the CGI and special effects department on their accomplishment here. It would be great to see "Zygote" as a full length feature film, although I can't really see what it would bring to the genre that hasn't already been done and seen in movies such as "The Thing". But still, with the entertainment level that they managed to pull off with just 20 minutes, then it would be fun to watch a full length movie with this stuff. "Zygote" is definitely well worth the time and effort if you enjoyed "The Thing". I am rating "Zygote" 7 out of 10 stars.

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• Familiar but still effectively horrific in design and delivery

  bob the moo2017-07-15

  The plot here is somewhat of a sci-fi/horror staple: an isolated location (base) and monsters at (or inside) the door. Many shows and films have done it, but in particular Zygote brings The Thing and Alien to mind. The delivery is simple too; after some dialogue in a contained room to set the scene, two survivors must try to make it across the base to the point they can escape. At first the dialogue was a little uninteresting, but as the film goes on I realized that this opening scene did add a lot to the film. Okay it is direct exposition, but the short running time doesn't give you the freedom to let it play out another way, unless you use a narrator in the same way as Rakka did, or a similar device such as the opening footage of Firebase. This opening scene does ask a lot though, because in addition to the exposition, the male actor is not particularly strong – feeling a bit forced and trying too hard to do what he is doing. Once the beast comes though, the film takes on a great pace and sense of horror. The beast itself is a horrific and chilling piece of body horror; the CGI feels real in the way it moves (and moves not just as one creature, but as a horrid composition of people). Through the escape, there are scenes reminding us of what we already heard – and there is a real horror here which the film does well to link to even if it doesn't have the time itself. Fanning is good in the lead, convincing in her fear and limits. As with the other shorts in this Volume 1 of release, it doesn't feel like a whole (because it is not) but at the same time there is more than enough here to make it effective.

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