If
you think this post-apocalyptic world looks bad, just imagine what the zombies
are like. Supposedly, there are still some of them out there, but the most
pressing threat comes from other people in screenwriter-director Josh Mendoza’s
What Still Remains (trailer here), which opens this
Friday in Los Angeles.
Anna’s
mother is dying, but at least it is from natural poor health. When her brother
is killed by a psychotic berserker stalking the family, Anna is left all alone.
She is tough, but she recognizes reality, so when the seemingly decent Peter
offers her refuge in his community, she accepts. Unfortunately, his
authoritarian, ultra-Christian colors start to come out during the trek from
her cabin to his compound.
To
be fair, stepping in a bear trap tends to bring out the worst in people.
Nevertheless, there seems to be something a little extreme about Peter. She is
also not comfortable surrendering her firearm at the Gates of Zion, so to
speak. She is right to feel that way, especially with the freaky berserkers making
noise out there.
Honestly,
Remains is so derivative and stilted,
watching it is just a fruitless chore. Here’s the takeaway: people are bad, especially
the Christian ones. The end. We get that after the first act, but Mendoza keeps
driving the point into the ground, over and over again. Genre fans will also be
disappointed by the way the film references zombies, but never actually shows
one.
It
is really a shame Remains craters so
completely into tedium, because it wastes a terrific star turn from Lulu
Antariksa as Anna. The TV thesp definitely proves she can carry a feature—now she
just needs a worthy project. To give all due credit, Colin O’Donoghue and Jeff Kober
are strong screen presences as Peter and his mentor Zack, but it is hard to
watch Mimi Rogers’ cartoonish intolerance as Judith, the camp matriarch.
Remains is a below-average
film that wears its prejudices on its sleeve. Once again, we are basically told
human nature is so inherently bad, we basically deserve the apocalypse. Speak
for yourselves, humanity-hating genre filmmakers. Not recommended, What Still Remains opens tomorrow (8/10)
in LA, at the Laemmle Music Hall.
