Simply Perfect

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

When one reads about a movie in the same breath as "Dog Soldiers", one has a certain expectation. When reviews abound that this movie is 'better than anticipated'. 'well acted' and 'realistic military action', similar expectations arise.The reality is somewhat different. A very rag-tag group of mercenaries travel through an unidentified Eastern European country to find an abandoned bunker housing a secret Nazi wonder machine.Numerous issues start the ball rolling with our intrepid crew as half of them are armed with H&K G36 carbines (rather nice, modern weapons, albeit without any of the accessories that are haute de guerre these days), whilst the others tote variations on the AK-47 platform. So first up, you have half the squad unable to use the other half's ammunition, quite a basic military no-no from an alleged group of experienced ex-soldiers. Whilst each man has a uniform befitting his background, we're told it's the 'present day', so why is everyone wearing seriously old kit? The Brits wearing 80s DPMs, the lone 'American' Woodland cammies, the Belgian an old 'jigsaw' pattern uniform whilst the French Legionairre wears 1990 circa CE pattern camouflage (this individual is apparently the team medic, but is a rather portly specimen indeed). The 'Russian' wears a rather plain uniform under a heavy coat which is difficult to identify easily. The last 'soldier' is dressed in civilian clothes with some military load bearing kit, rather reminiscent of the separatist groups in the former Yugoslavia, so I guess he's the resident 'Eastern European'.Their fieldcraft swings from attempts at 'professional' from the Commando in charge of the group to rather laughable from the Russian who has a habit of swinging his weapon wildly about whilst standing completely upright.Upon entering the bunker, most have mechanic's work lights complete with corded power supply as their light source. Really?After the initial entry, the 'science' is attempted to be shown off after which the usual zombie dross starts up with them dying unusual and creative deaths along with the clichéd tensions between the crew.I couldn't bring myself to the end of the movie to be brutally honest, so I can't comment on that moment, but beyond that, this is a B-grade, straight to DVD 'experience' that would be better served as a video game than a movie.PS. I skipped through to the end, everyone dies, the 'second team' turns up & it's rinse & repeat. What an absolute joke.

Believe it or not, the Nazi zombie is actually a staple of the horror film. Yep, enough of these films have been made to make the 'Nazi zombie' movie a sub-genre of cinema in its own right. It all started with the Peter Cushing film SHOCK WAVES made back in 1977, and then two Euro directors, Jean Rollin and Jess Franco, made their own low-budget variants on the subject with ZOMBIE LAKE and OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES. Now comes OUTPOST, a low budget British entry in the genre which also has much in common with recent war/horror efforts like THE BUNKER, THE TRENCH, and DEATHWATCH.The film kicks off with a bunch of hard-ass guys, ex-soldiers all, going on a mercenary mission to Eastern Europe. As per usual for this genre, the colour stock is subdued, at times virtually black and white, and there's a depressingly lifeless look to the surrounds. The director goes out of his way to make all of these guys unlikeable, and he even says so on a behind-the-scenes documentary, arguing that most modern directors have to have at least one likable character and he wanted to change that. Fair enough, but it does mean that we're lacking in compassion for these guys when the nastiness starts.My favourite character is the slightly sympathetic scientist, played by Julian Wadham, who investigates some misguided experiments with physics and eventually learns the truth behind the deserted outpost. The leading role is given to the gruff Ray Stevenson, who is also very good. Stevenson has plenty of experience playing these hard-man roles which is why he's so convincing. Other characters are fairly predictable – the twitchy Russian, the sarcastic Scots, the redneck American and the token black guy doomed to die a horrible death. The film takes a while to get going, but that's fine with me as there's plenty of atmosphere building up to the turning point. Then the director throws in a handful of very grisly death sequences and things start getting really nasty. It all ends with a massed attack of Nazi zombies which is extremely unsettling and effective, although the twist epilogue is a little staid.So, yeah. I didn't find this as spooky as DEATHWATCH, but it does pick up towards the end and those Nazi storm troopers are an effective menace. The gore sequences are extreme and veer towards unwatchable, dragging out the violence to tortured lengths, but some of the (human) soldiers are so unpleasant that you're actively wishing that they'd hurry up and die already. That does rob the film of emotional involvement and attachment, but visually it works a treat and the climax is still superbly-done. Not a bad little movie at all, even if it does resemble the likes of DOG SOLDIERS and others a little too much.

Okay, so 'perfect' is probably not a term that should be used to describe a film about ghost-Nazis stalking a team of mercenaries in the wastelands of Eastern Europe, but, for what it is, 'Outpost' is a pretty damn good film.Hopefully, if you've fully digested my first paragraph about the ghost-Nazis (or zombie-Nazis – take your pick) you won't be expecting a deep and intellectual film, filled with emotional depth and fulfilling character arcs and plot twists. So, if you're looking for a damn tense (and pretty creepy) little story, with decent action scenes and characters you may actually care about, then try this.Outpost is a B-movie. It never really tries to be anything else. It doesn't have much of a budget, but what it does have it uses well.So, if you like your action/war/horror movies short and to the point, you really could do worse than to watch Outpost (just don't get it confused with any of the – very inferior – sequels!http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

If you want a good horror film that isn't over the top like saw and actually has a plot then you are in luck with this underrated gem.Most horror films lately just go for the sadist/gore fest cringe shock value without trying to be original these days(except this one that is)Yes it has some graphic bits but it is understandable violence.I loved the the story in this film so much , the science in it made it quite believable for me which is a big selling point . The acting is great in this film , the setting is great in this film ,the story is great, the fx are great .What more do you want?You want a film to get your girl to hold you in the scary bits? this is it.