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Growth
In 1989, a breakthrough in "advanced parasitic research" on Cuttyhunk Island gave scientists a jump in human evolution. Initial tests proved promising, as subjects experienced heightened physical and mental strength and awareness. But - something in the experiment went horribly wrong, and the island mysteriously lost three quarters of its population.
Release : | 2010 |
Rating : | 4.4 |
Studio : | New Artists Alliance, |
Crew : | Costume Design, Director, |
Cast : | Mircea Monroe Christopher Shand Brian Krause Nora Kirkpatrick Richard Riehle |
Genre : | Horror Thriller Science Fiction |
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Simply Perfect
Memorable, crazy movie
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.
Growth is a 2010 or 2009 (the sources varied) 'horror' film that plays out like a leisurely stroll through your awkward teen years. Only instead of mediocrity, acne and regrettable sexual experiences you're hit with angst and a less than lack lustre plot. The main issue with the film is the lack of any innovation; it borrows arm so heavily from pop culture and does no justice to any of it. For example; Growth takes considerable influence from Twilight franchise. Most of the camera and lighting techniques are lifted and imposed over a cardboard character. Likewise, fight scenes take a lot of their influence from the aforementioned franchise however; Growth fails to emulate them even slightly. The main character too is a pale, self motivated angst strain of urine(sic), spending half the film trying to avoid and or pitch woo to his sister? Onto yet another blinding flaw; the film never explains in any detail the relationships between characters. All of a sudden new characters are introduced with some tangible connection to previously seen characters. But it's not something to dwell upon, because why have development when you can squeeze more shots of characters wandering in the dark or looking into the middle distance? Between the confusing character relationships, poorly edited fight sequences (all two of those) and the writer's lack of creativity Growth fails to be a horror and simply stands as horrific. Regarding the plot; Growth is loosely about a parasite (twiparasite) that gifts the infected super human abilities, such as; wear women's sunglasses, handle a whole whiskey and take a plagiarise Prototype. Ultimately Twiparasite doesn't do itself any favours, the budget aside; the story could have been focused on to avoid clichéd end scenes and unsympathetic characters with about as much personality as MDF. The acting is probably the most positive aspect (the only positive) of the film, it's too bad the efforts of the cast is let down dismally by the script. To surmise, this film doesn't deserve the title of horror; despite what it may attempt Growth comes close to the genre for all of a minute.
In the 1980s, an island used for genetic research made some breakthroughs, but also had some terrible setbacks. Today (2009) some of those setbacks might come back to bite the island in the butt as a nasty slug-like virus spreads with unpredictable effects.Quite simply, this film is a disappointment and something of a mess. There is potential there, and you can glean it from time to time, but overall the feeling is one of letdown. There are two main areas this film fails: the computer effects and the plot.As far as computer effects go, it's somewhere in the middle ground of modern effects. It's not really good, but it's not as bad as some of the things you'll find on the SyFy network (like "Raptor Island"). Had the special effects people had a bit more time, they might have been able to pull this task off. Instead, the creatures come out looking like very low budget versions of the slimies from "Slither" (a vastly superior film).The plot fails in a few ways. Primarily, there is not much sense to the whole concept. If this is a research island, why do people live on it? I can understand scientists staying there, but it seems to have a thriving city. That's just pointless. But also, much of the film uses flashbacks that do not really add up until the end, by which time you've probably already forgotten about them, and the story was working just fine without them. In short, we have added confusing footage where none is necessary... edit five minutes from this film and it would be supremely better.Gabriel Cowan, the writer and director, has said this film was inspired by (of all things) the 2008 presidential debates, and the idea that we must sacrifice ourselves sometimes to get where we want to go. He saw McCain and Obama as both switching positions at the last minute, and turned this into a science fiction story... it's a stretch, but if that's what he says is the source, fair enough.And Cowan's not without his merits. His last film, "Breathing Room", I found to be startlingly impressive and plenty of fun. And he knows how to cast, securing the great character actor Richard Riehle (probably best known from "Office Space"). The problem with "Growth" may not have been the people involved so much as the budget they were forced to work with.I recommend seeing "Breathing Room". I'm not as convinced about "Growth". If you want to compare the two to see Cowan's evolution, go for it, but otherwise you'd do just as well to pass. (I cannot say whether or not the graphic novel based on the film is any better, but I suspect it is.)
Hey Guys, I love horror films. Have since I was a kid. I especially like The Thing, The Fly, the 70's version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and films of that kind. For me, these are the "real" horror films - before torture porn was an industry. This film is in the genre of the films I mentioned above. It's a low budget version of those films, but an interesting and compelling story with real rich characters. The dialogue is well written, the cinematography is terrific at parts, the acting is well played, the narrative isn't in a hurry - but doesn't drag, and overall the ending is fantastic! I felt that this team and this director were inexperienced, but filled with talent, original ideas, and vision. Keep watching until after the credits or you're missing something!See this film, you just might like it!
Have just watched this and I have to say I am surprised at the previous review. I found the story line quite weak, and although a few of the actors gave believable performances, most of the acting was rather hammy. The special effects were the sort I would expect to see on a made for TV movie, and made me feel no sorrow for the victims. The story was a little disjointed in places, and because we are shown the 'parasites' very early on in the film, there is no room to build any tension and the film almost plods along. I found myself checking to see how long there was left to go. Overall, I give this a 5/10, mainly for the few actors that managed to work their script into believable dialogue.