Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Panic; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 1.00
Direction: 0.50
Pace: 0.50
Acting: 1.00
Enjoyment: 0.75
TOTAL: 3.75 out of 10.00
Here's yet another story that fails due to a lack of skill and talent. The writers have a worthy idea with a synthetic virus escaping from the laboratory confinement and the terror and mayhem it causes. The shameful thing is they don't research their catastrophe enough. For one thing, the only carrier is the missing doctor, and though the virus is highly contagious, nobody gets infected. There's an enormous missed opportunity there. So all we get is a rampaging murder machine. Another affliction the story contains is the undercooked characters. Not one of them is credible or relatable. They all needed more development. And why does it take an American to save the day? In fact, why is he even helping the police? That said, the narrative does include a few respectable segments and a logical procession. I liked that they showed a grumbling little old lady in a public telephone booth when the government shuts down the phone lines. The trouble is that her dialogue doesn't feel realistic, even though the situation is. There's also a pleasing scene of a near riot. After the infected doc attacks a cinema audience and the coppers chase him away, the public wants answers, which the police can't or won't give. It's believable, and you can relate to the angry mob.
The director could have saved the story, and that's a sad fact. I've seen worse stories filmed better than this one. Sadly, he too, is lacking in the talent department. The opening credits are an unnecessary stroll around the back of some folk's homes. I don't know if he got the homeowner's consent, but you get some nice shots of the terrace houses back yards. The worst thing was how obvious it was that he was trying to deliver a passable picture to the audience. Unfortunately, everything is slightly off. For example, in his composition; he attempts to frame his subjects perfectly, but he's either too close or too far to the right, left, up, or down and it feels sloppy. Another snag is the single tempo of the picture. He doesn't use it to his full advantage. He could have used it to build tension and nervous excitement. Regrettably, when mixed in with his composition issues, all we get is apathy. Other reviews mention the terrible makeup effects of the infected doctor - piazza-face - but for me, it's not that dreadful. It is poor and inferior to other flicks, but it could be forgiven had the story and film been better. Because they're awful, you're looking for the next nastiness to appear.
And that would be the cast. The two leads, David Warbeck and Janet Agren are so wooden the film should hold an environmental sustainability certificate. In fact, most of the B and Z-List actors and actresses are better on screen. And the only one who appears to be making an effort is the guy playing the head of the laboratory. He shows concern when his family is threatened, and anger when he realises what's happening in the township. But it's not enough to save it from Captain Kirk and Jane.
With a grim heart, I suggest that everyone stay away from this badly written, filmed, and acted mess.
Please feel free to visit my Absolute Horror and The Final Frontier lists to see where I ranked Panic - or to find something better to watch.
Take Care & Stay Well.
