Condemned

The first part of the movie is pretty neat and weird. With it's own dark atmosphere which is great and entertaining, stands out in the crowd. But it goes south really fast. In the half way through the movie and the fun and eerie part becomes collage-grade-bad-special-effects slasher flick in the dorms. What a loss.

I don't understand where's the need to do the same thing that everyone in the horror film industry has already done before. If you don't have the budget stick to the story. If you have no story entertain with good effects. They had such a good beginning with pure weirdness that temps you to take a shower after watching this - and that is rare find these days.

I've seen some ridiculously bad movies in the past (some were so bad that they got me pretty angry,) but this isn't one of them. I'm not saying it's good either though.

First thing I'd like to mention: I hear a lot of people comparing this movie to 'REC' and its American remake 'Quarantine'. (One reviewer even went as far to say that it was almost as bad as 'The Sand'; a movie I felt was quite charming and at times admittedly nonsensical, but still good. I digress...) I feel 'Condemned' has more in common with David Cronenberg's deeply disturbing 1975 film, 'Shivers'; that and movies like 'The Driller Killer', 'Street Trash', and almost anything from Troma Entertainment.

The special effects and makeup weren't bad, and I found the bizarre residents and their eventual changes to be amusing (albeit gross). Other than that, the lighting wasn't that great at times, characters, dialogue and scenes needed some more development, and there needed to be some explanation for some of the stuff that happened.

If I could, I'd give this film a 5.5 out of 10. If you're easily squeamish, don't bother watching it. If not and you're into any of the movies I mentioned, you might enjoy seeing it just once.

This movie has a subtle message. Through the grimy pipes, spewing pus and cringing stomachs something stands out. It's not aloof or pretentious but still worthy. "Sapere Aude" says the crimson typeface splattered above the pee stained floor; naivety seeks the all knowing book. Words and thoughts of more than the gruesome torture of the mundane. The grimy existence of outcasts an appealing escape. Stories told through a network of interconnected pipes that echo with the ugliness shown behind closed doors. Teetering on the edge of insanity is the mind left to roam. Running only delays the inevitable. Isolation once sacred becomes helplessness anew. Is not entertainment without art?

I believe that Roger Ebert had it right. Evaluate the movie based on how well they made it fit the genre. As such, this one is okay. You need to see more than REC or Quarantine as progenitors. This one involved some New York type filmmakers/actors. They did a very good job on sets, costumes, lighting,etc. I don't look for total character coherence in a flick in which everyone is going mad. Even, before they went mad, they were marginally mad or disturbed to begin with. The movie was pretty well made for a low budget effort. The only thing that looked fake was some of the CGI blood spatter and one projectile vomiting scene. You can also see Johnny Messner playing against type. I didn't realize it was him until I realized that he had almost the same hairdo that he wore in Tears of the Sun.There were also a bunch of faces that look familiar but whose names always escape you.

This movie did not remind me of REC or Quarantine, as much as some say. They were also derivative. Yes, there were many similar elements that appeared in those films and Condemned.But if anything, this story was absolutely most like a New York based film that predated those two.

If you liked Condemned then see Mulberry Street (2006), a film with very close themes and development. This connection jumped to mind after the first few minutes or so of watching Condemned. The writer/star of Mulberry St. is Nick Damici who has a small cameo in Condemned. So see Mulberry St. and if you liked that then watch Stakeland, Damici's take on vampires. In it you will see scenes, sets, and situations that although not wholly original, look like they might be one of the proximate inspirations for The Walking Dead.

This is a very well shot horror comedy with a nice sense of the absurd. The cinematography is far above average. The story is standard zombie pap, but delivered with an atmosphere that catches a certain fancy, rewards attention to detail, and reminded me of "Rec" (the original Spanish version 2007,) and Dan O'Bannon's "The Return of the Living Dead " (1985.)

I didn't realize, until I checked out the IMDb page after watching the movie, that the lead girl was Sean Penn's daughter. She was pretty impressive... attractive in a tough sort of way... kind of ugly-cute like her father. She most certainly grasped my attention and delivered a compelling performance.

This is not a bad film.(Of course, it's not a great film,) But it is well worth a watch. It has a definite grounded attitude, sense of the absurd, and a cool, (but admittedly gross,) visual style. It well deserves at least double the 3.5 rating in its IDMB main page.