[The Vanguard]
Plot:In the year 2015, overpopulation has reached massive levels. To deal with this problem, an entity known only as "The Corporation" devises a depopulation programme. However, their scientists revolt and create a drug which reduces humans to a primitive ape like state known as Biosyns. For a man named Max, who was cast adrift into the wilderness and may be the antidote to the drug...surviving hordes of the flesh eating Biosyns is just the beginning.

Cast:Emma Choy, Farhan Khan, Jack Bailey, Shiv Grewal, Christopher Hatherall, Steve Weston, Ray Bullock Jr., Martin Hobbs, Bahi Ghubril, Karen Admiraal.

My Thoughts:Nothing to see here.

Review:At some point the "world has ended, and flesh-eating wackos roam freely" subgenre has to come to a conclusion. We've seen it in "Resident Evil" parts 1-3, and we'll see it again in "The Road", where cannibals are the culprit. And don't forget the "28 Days Later" series. "The Vanguard" takes elements from all of those series, and blends it together with a groundhouse-esque look, and some decent character development. The problem is however, it never really delivers on anything mind-blowing and it can never really seem to get going. The movie pits an evil corporation as the villains of the film. No seriously....that's their names..."The Corporation".

No fancy name like Umbrella, or anything like that....just "The Corporation". I guess it's supposed to make them seem alot more shady and menacing. But to me, I felt it to be too obvious and cheapened the overall movie. Anyhow, "The Corporation" has decided that in the year 2015, there's simply too many people in the world and so it has come up with a depopulation program. To implement this program, they've hired scientists for the job, but they revolt and instead seek to create a drug which causes humans to regress into a primative mental stage. The scientists of course revolt, because I mean....this shit just ain't right ya know?

The bad news however is that the newly-changed humans, who are called "Biosyns"...begin running amok and killing people and infecting those they don't. Not good of course, especially for Max (Bullock Jr.), one of the few survivors in this world gone mad, who may also hold the cure to the biosyn menace within his bloodstream. The character of Max is an interesting one, a deaf-mute, brooding fellow who kills with proficiency and speed. Brandishing two axes which he sues to quickly dispose of any hordes of biosyns. But the film is so dreary, depressing, and lacking in any real "oomph" that it's hard to stay interested for the duration.

A film where the world has been thrown into chaos should be thrilling at eery turn, but with "The Vanguard"...I just didn't get that feeling. I believe it was a combination of the characters, and the atmosphere. They both worked together to make the movie super-boring, and while you can root for Max every now and then...there are alot of moments where he also plays anti-hero, which didn't work in this movie considering he shows aggression towards those who never deem themselves an enemy.

You'd think in a scenario where there's so little human life remaining on earth, even a hardened survivalist like Max would be happy to see some human life beyond himself and the corporation still remains. But instead the guy seems to attack anything that moves. But eventually, Max does thaw out a bit as the film goes on. To add a new dimension to the film early in act one, a soldier character named Jamal (Grewal) is introduced into the story. Another interesting character that for some reason, most likely because of the tame and bland writing by director/writer Matthew Hope, doesn't even realize his full potential.

There are some great moments between Max and Jamal, most of which come when they meet for the first time, but I really felt the volatile and unstable relationship between the two could've been played up to the point where it might've carried the film the rest of the way...if the right writer were penning the script. Instead, it...like most of the movie, is a wasted opportunity to capitalize on so much and so many things.

When you toss in the stale plot, which takes from many films before it (mostly 28 days later and resident evil 2), the large gaps in time where hardly any biosyns appear, and the below subpar acting, which is hampered even further by the uninspired writing...you have a movie which is doomed to fail. "The Vanguard" may impress those who are wild about the "apocalyptic horror" subgenre, but for those who aren't....it's destined to bore for the msot part.

Positives:Interesting characters in Max and Jamal.

Negatives:A script that's too slow, the characters are set up to be interesting and intriguing enough but that potential only has it's sruface barely scraped. A lack of biosyn action in the middle and final act, which for a movie where the world is overrun by these things...shouldn't happen. Too many similarities to other apocalyptic horror films.

Overall:One and a half stars out of four.





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