Revelation Trail

Revelation Trail Review The first question any movie-goer will ask when reading the synopsis of Revelation Trail will inevitably be, "is this seriously ANOTHER zombie movie?" Or perhaps even more poignant, "A zombie western? What are they going to do next, put zombies in space?" Regardless of whether or not you are one of the aforementioned viewers who would ask these questions, Revelation Trail will not disappoint in any way, shape, or form. The reason… quite simple – if you took the zombie factor out, the movie would be just as good. Just like it's contemporaries; anything from Dead Snow to the Walking Dead series, it's a great story all on it's own and only uses the undead to drive home the point even further – and scare the pants off those with a weak stomach! Starting with what we actually see on the screen, this is director John Gibson's first feature length of this magnitude – and the production quality is an absolute knock-out. This film could easily stand up against any Hollywood, big budget production, and being that the film was made on a modest budget – that's no small feat. Not a single ounce of detail is lost or overlooked in the picture quality, audio, lighting, editing pace, or post-production effects. For anyone familiar with the usual run at Sundance or other Independent films, this is definitely not a movie that excuses either the forgivable quality loss of many documentaries or intentionally amateurish style of many narratives – it's a high quality film that used its meager budget for just the essentials and the essentials are more than well-covered. For any movie analyst with a keen eye, there's not a single shot that's out of place.

But of course, there's the story behind the aesthetics that stays on the viewers' minds much longer than the lighting. First off, Revelation Trail – what a hell of a name! It's absolutely perfect for a Western movie that conjures up sights and sounds from the classic Spaghetti Western era. Take that foundation and throw a zombie apocalypse into the mix and you've got a post-modern tour de force. The tale follows our two main characters – the local preacher and sheriff - and just how these two are reconciling their worldviews with the ensuing events that would rock anyone's core beliefs. On a theoretical/philosophical level, it's a great escalating conflict of the realist battling the idealist; or in this case – the sheriff battling the preacher. One is a man of the law – he must uphold order to keep the peace and goes home with a clear conscience regardless of what he's done that day. The other is a man of God – one not so willing to just senselessly kill –at least not without a proper burial. It's a classic character archetype that keeps the film interesting down to the last minute. Director John Gibson (who makes a brief cameo as a zombie himself!) is an avid Star Wars fan, and this character match-up has Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan written all over it. But regardless of the character influence, the end result is the same – it works.

In short, Revelation Trail is a solid film that gets high marks on every aspect of the filmmaking process – and a great first outing for director John Gibson and Co. For any fans of zombie movies, Western movies, and everything in between and not so in between, Revelation Trail is soon to be a widely recognized outstanding independent film. -Marc Kennedy

Per my Summary line above, Revelation Trail is a surprisingly good zombie flick that managed to do a ton of good things with a skim working budget. The acting was solid, honest, heart-felt... especially the lead character (Preacher) and his law man co-star. The camera work was realistic and solid. The effects were much, much better than expected. If we as film lovers are lucky, perhaps Rev Trail has fathered a new genre of zombie horror. When you mix two historically-significant genres into one film, the end result is not always great. However, this movie certainly provided a fresh take on a genre that is starting to become a bit redundant. 2 thumbs up, 8 stars!

So, it's time for one balanced review. Not the worst zombie flick, but far from deserving all those 'raves'. Interesting premise, mix of a western and a zombie story, evenly paced, but slow. There is some complexity in the character development, some action, fair sets, passable, although amateurish, directing and acting...put all together, it feels weak and unconvincing, particularly towards the predictable end. Honorable mention for two senior members of the ensemble (The Marshal and The Mayor). I guess it would be ok to watch for the connoisseurs of the genre, but no one else. Before necessary adjustments, rated 4/10.

This movie turned out wonderfully and has a great story to drive it. You can tell that this film was made with hard work and lots of love. Everyone in it did a fantastic job and is a great example of what independent film can accomplish. It was filmed in Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois primarily. The Two main characters interacted brilliantly and the dialog between them felt genuine. Very good action sequences!!! The Makeup and special effects are top notch and rank up there with The Walking Dead. Lots of detail went into this movie and it shows in the locations and wardrobe. You owe it to yourself to watch this movie. Hope to see more from Director John Gibson.

The story itself was well thought out. Following Preacher through this grim world was interesting as I watched him trying to cope with what was going on around him. As he went on with a Sheriff as his one companion, their interactions outside of dealing with the undead were quite amusing. The special effects department did a fantastic job of making me believe that this world was very much real. There was an interesting twist towards the end which left me wanting to know more about why the world became the way it was. I'm really looking forward to seeing another film created about Preacher and the West. All in all, a great film that is definitely a must-see for anyone who is even remotely interested in zombie films. Or westerns.