FilmArcade.net: Fantasia 2011: "Phase 7" Review

Phase 7
Year: 2011
Director: Nicolas Goldbart
Stars:Daniel Hendler, Jazmín Stuart, Federico Luppi
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: The Collective / Bloody Disgusting Selects
Running Time: 98 Mins

Phase 7 is the third film in the Bloody Disgusting “Night Terrors” series that's playing at AMC theaters. It's also the second film in the series that contains the majority of the film’s action inside anv apartment building. And by the way, its playing at this year Fantasia International Film Festival.

Coco and Pipi, are getting ready to start a family. Everything seems to be going well for them, until a special bulletin hits the news. They find out that a virus is rapidly spreading and the authorities are worried. The health department has the apartment building under quarantine and they’re ordered to have limited contact with their neighbors. Determine to wait it out, the couple stays in their apartment.

But as the time passes, the tension rises. The neighbors start forming little bands and Coco is forced to ally with Horacio, a paranoid survivalist. Remaining alive has become the biggest priority, as all hell has broken loose in the complex. Soon, decisions and consequences are going to come the fore, as the chaos is getting out of control.

Phase 7 is a very bizarre film that does a good job keeping your interest. Writer/director Nicolas Goldbart creates an interesting film that keeps you entertained. He does a good job making the tone feel gloomy and apocalyptic, considering that all the action is contained. This film doesn’t focus on the viral epidemic part that much, but Goldbart focuses on how we would react to it. It makes the film more interesting, then you‘re run of the mill virus film. That’s also why this film kept me interested. He makes the action interesting. Whether it’s adding a little humor or slowing down the action, Goldbert keeps your interest in the scene. The acting was very good. I liked, how Goldbart makes the characters interesting through the performances. Each major character has an odd trait, but that is handled well, as it’s there to give some personality to each character. This could have easily been so weird that it would be hard to follow. But to Goldbart’s credit, he keeps to a point that the characters don’t turn you off.

Normally I don’t go into a film’s score, but I enjoyed the film’s score a lot. Guillermo Guareschi does a very good job creating a John Carpenter like score to go along with the film‘s action. It adds to the dark and bizarre tone that this film has. His score helps enhance this movie, as it makes the action and dramatic scenes more enjoyable and gets you into the flow of the film.

Goldbart’s screenplay was a lot different, from most sci-fi films that you normally see. One of the things that makes it different, the action in contained in one building. He does a good job making these action sequences work. The sequences were very contained and not chaotic enough to ruin the dark apocalyptic tone, which this film has. The other thing that I liked about the screenplay, it combine elements from other films and makes it feel different from other films. There are clearly elements of “[Rec}”, “Shawn of the Dead” and “Escape From New York” here with the tone. the scenery and the dialogue. Goldbert does a good job mixing these elements into the film’s story. That’s what gives the film’s uniqueness and draws you into it’s bizarre world.

This is definitely recommended to those like psychological or off beat sci-fi films. “Phase 7” is a very weird and entertaining film that keeps your interest, amidst all the chaos.

Review Rating: Three and a Half Stars

Upcoming AMC Theaters Screenings

Friday, July 15th at midnight
Wednesday, July 20 at 10pm
Friday, July 22 at midnight

Upcoming Fantasia Screenings

July 17th, 2011 / 10:00 pm / J.A. De Seve Theater /Montreal Canada
July 22nd, 2011 / 1:00 pm / J.A. De Seve Theater / Montreal Canada