Before Dawn (2012)

Review

Alex and Meg have decided to have a weekend together to see if they can't patch up their marriage. So leaving the kids behind with Nana the couple head into the remote English countryside to try and re-ignite the flame, though to be honest this seems more Alex's agenda than Meg's one. Seems Alex was seeing another woman and has been unemployed for over a year while Meg is high octane lawyer surgically attached to her mobile phone. Naturally with things being pretty much one sided the weekend isn't going to go as well as Alex may have wished.

The morning after arriving at the semi-detached cottage they are renting for the weekend Meg goes for a run while Alex tries to recuperate from the hangover he finds himself suffering from. During her run Meg is attacked by some desperado who bites her on her leg. She escapes and makes it back to the cottage, but appears to be coming down with some sort of infection. Alex is unable to call for help, cell reception is spotty at best, and ominously the television and radio networks have descended into white noise. The zombie apocalypse is upon us and Alex is about to display a woeful lack of knowledge of the mythology. Can the couple survive the weekend; I figure the marriage is already rooted.

Monster Pictures have been kicking goals this year for Downunder horror fans; they have brought us a whole lot of local product but have also delivered a fair crop of low budget foreign fright flicks to the absolute delight of the Downunder market. I'm talking foreign movies you hear about at conventions but generally don't get a chance to catch up with, case in point being this movie Before Dawn, an independent Brit zombie flick with more originality than a room full of original things. The zombie sub-genre has been getting tired of late, but with Dominic Brunt's entry into the cannon there is a glimmer of hope that new ideas are being explored. Let's sink our teeth into this Brit voyage of the damned and see exactly what Monster have brought us.

Director Brunt continues the sterling work Danny Boyle delivered in 28 Days Later, in fact Brunt could well be dealing with the same universe filled with victims of the Rage virus. Yes we're talking fast running zombies with total psychotic tendencies in an isolated location. Alex and Meg are unaware of the outbreak going down while they seek some sort of resurrection of their relationship, yes there are themes, however for those monitoring their zombie radars there's hints galore through the movie that the apocalypse is upon us.

Brunt isn't throwing a traditional zombie gore fest at us, he is intertwining a drama with the beginnings of the outbreak and for the first third of his movie spends his time dealing with the relationship between Alex and Meg rather than the forces of chaos. Clearly the relationship between the two isn't going to get back to the romantic any time soon, though Alex still seems to think they have a chance. And that's about all I'm going to do with the chick moments stuff, watch the movie if you want to get your relationship dysfunction on, hey your girlfriend will probably really dig it, we're all here for the zombies.

We kick things off with Alex and Meg loading the car and heading out for their weekend. I assume Meg is along to finally underline the break up with Alex, as she certainly isn't doing any work toward resolving the problems they are having. This follows the opening credits that roll over scenes of the picturesque English countryside. Anyways we learn Nana really doesn't like Alex but is quite happy to look after the two kids the couple had during previous happier times in their relationship. About the only other thing I was rocking out to was a lingering shot over an air filter which I guess was meant to hint at the virus being airborne as well as passed on via body fluids. This is important for understanding the final scene in the movie. Oh and a shout we hear in the background that of course indicates things are starting to roll on the spreading infection front.

Already I was picking up on how script writer Mark Illis was going to roll the dice on this one, suggestion and subtle hints rather than neon signposting the plot points. Take for example the journey from the City, assuming London here, to the isolated cottage. We go from built up areas to a motorway then to secondary roads before finally a one lane dirt top in the middle of forests and fields. During the first night we quickly get the gist of the relationship needing a lot more than a bandaid, and are pretty much waiting for Meg to spring the divorce papers, while Director Brunt has barely seen shapes rushing around in the tree line. The hint of tension is there even as the Director focuses on family matters.

The next day things hot up with Meg getting attacked while she is out jogging, as you do in the isolated countryside where the local inbreeds no doubt are waiting on their porches with the chainsaws ready to rev up. For mine Director Brunt makes a slight error in going with kinetic action that simply confuses the viewer, what are we actually watching? I know this approach is meant to make things more immediate and put the viewer right into the action but I was left slightly nauseated by the shaky cam in use. Brunt repeats the approach with the two or three additional zombie attacks that go down, sure it's chaotic and in your face - loved the jerky movement of the zombies, but as a visual notion it's simply confused and I must say shows an arrogant Director not strong enough to pull off normal action scenes.

Got to say, where Brunt does get it right is building tension in certain scenes, just what might be hidden up those dark stairs and out in the garage, and having a brooding atmosphere. Before Dawn resembles more of a backwards massacre movie in its atmosphere than the blood soaked scenarios normal zombie fare sends in our direction.

Out of words here, but quick thumbs up for the makeup department, the zombies were the business and they got the resurrection thing happening sensationally without going over the top. Great work enjoyed this aspect of the movie immensely.

Dominic Brunt (Alex) and Joanne Mitchell (Meg) handle what is pretty much a two shot movie well, there's some real chemistry there with both actors pulling off their roles like seasoned professionals. Also worth noting is Thomas Ragdale's score which helps underline the visuals, even when it's being slightly eccentric.

Wow a zombie movie that dares to be different, the rent a horror crowd are going to hate this one while real horror fans will be lapping it up. I had a good time throughout and was simply in the movie from first frame to last. Director Brunt does a slow burner and presents a narrative of a couple going through problems, who just happen to be caught up in a zombie outbreak. This is the must watch zombie movie of the year, I can't recommended it enough, get your rage on and rush your local store to get a copy.

Before Dawn is being released Downunder 21st May by Monster Pictures. Sorry don't have the package specs but expect them to be up to Monster's normal professional level. This is one DVD that is down on my must purchase list.