Pretty Good

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I liked the movie. Watched it 3 times, and each time I found something new and interesting. To me the movie serves as a metaphor for life. Its plot is a sanguinary and savage microcosm of our existence. Life is absurd. We (humans) go on, make plans, oscillate between depression and euphoria, etc. And then we die -- often often when we least expect it. The film does a superlative job of trying to abridge the complexity of human existence, with all of its violence, and to transplant it onto an alien world where an unknown entity, with the power of a demiurge, is hosting gladiatorial games. It is not until the very end that we get an oblique glimpse at the alien overlords monotonously giving participants combat instructions, but in all probability eagerly anticipating another act of their otherworldly bacchanalia.

It's by no means perfect, like just about every other film out there, but the overkill of 1 star reviews has lead me to contribute my good one as, quite frankly, it -really- is not a bad film at all.Horror is a very open term when it comes to film genre and it to me horror is anything that messes with your mind. There are scenes in this film where I had my hands on my face whilst watching and there were bits I was laughing my head off (...literally no pun intended there but my god that's good... I'll leave it in).Not sure how so many others were bored of the storyline... I was hooked right through to the very end, I feel like we were watching different films?The 2 (main) deaf characters really are awesome and for me were the most enjoyable characters to watch, not to mention brilliantly acted.There is a recurring theme of challenging our most common prejudices in society throughout the film, some unfortunately a little too unsubtle, but it does pain me to say they don't really lead to any good message or moral as far as I could tell. Really it's more of an observation on how we all are as societal groups.All in all not a perfect film and there are better but certainly good enough to get past the 5 mark.

Indie movie "The Human Race" has an impossible task ahead of it. How will audiences take it seriously when it so completely reminds them of bigger and better films? "The Hunger Games" already referred to as a young adult version of the superior gore fest "Battle Royale." Arnold Schwarzenegger even found himself sprinting for his life in "The Running Man."A group of people from different walks of life find themselves in a race to the death. After witnessing a blinding flash, they awaken in a strange obstacle course. Among the runners are two handicapped military veterans, a pregnant woman, a mother and daughter, and two school children. Voices in their heads tell them if they break any of the rules given to them, they will die. There can be only one winner, but what is the prize for reaching the finish line? And to what lengths will people go to make sure they win "The Human Race?"It would help if "The Human Race" added anything new to what we've already seen, but it doesn't. When the "contestants" veer off the path, their heads explode just like they did in low-budget 1990's sci-fi flick "Deadlock (aka Wedlock)." Director / Writer Paul Hough refuses to play it safe in terms of the victims he decides to dispose of. He also does his best to come up with new and more despicable ways for the racers to treat each other in an attempt to compensate for a lack of originality when it comes to the story.In the production notes for "The Human Race," Hough stated, "Unfortunately in life, death has no prejudice. It doesn't discriminate. It will go after both the good and the bad. The abled and the disabled. The young and the old. The faithful and the faithless. I wanted to create a world in which anything can happen to anyone at any time."He continued, "Further, it was important to me to have characters that one didn't pander to. That are flawed. That are actually a reflection of the society we live in - not just a wishful perception." I will say he did accomplish what he strived for as far as making each character an example of a certain section of humanity."The Human Race" is Unrated. I would give it an R-rating if I were a member of the MPAA. Lots of blood, violence, and disturbing images are the main factor for my decision. Another is a scene of attempted rape that many will find disturbing and quite intense.Everything about "The Human Race" will remind you of another better movie you saw. The attempt at a shocking ending just feels like a major letdown crafted by a fan who's watched way too much "The Twilight Zone" and "The Outer Limits." The only viewer who won't feel this way is one who somehow escaped ever seeing "The Hunger Games," "Battle Royale," "The Running Man," or "Deadlock (aka Wedlock)." If you've already witnessed these fine films, then just move along. There's nothing new to see here… unless you just want to witness CGI-enhanced exploding heads and other sequences of blood and gore.

DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE INTERESTING SOUNDING STORYLINE AND THE OKAY COVER.This movie is the worst excuse for a movie I have ever seen. I don't know how it was released (let alone in movie stores) and I'm not even sure how it has gotten a rating of above 2 on IMDb.The acting is horrendous, most elements of the movie are completely unrealistic and the final scene just makes the entire thing ever more confusing and far-fetched. There is no background, no attempt to help you build a connection to the characters and quite simply boasts awful acting, terrible filming and confusion. By the time the credits come, you're just left thinking "what did I even just watch?"Don't even bother, this movie isn't worth your time.1/10