Uncontained review
Uncontained has some new ideas for an old concept.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Streaming exclusively on Screambox today
Uncontained
Directed by Morley Nelson
Written by Morley Nelson
Starring Morley Nelson, Peter O’Meara and Hayley LeBlanc
Uncontained Review
Uncontained finds an interesting new angle on the age-old zombie story. Instead of following the usual pattern of adrenaline-fueled fights for your life…the story digs into the idea of a virus and how it affects people. As is often the case, humans remain just as big, if not a bigger, threat than the mutated flesh biters. But Uncontained treats its threats in a more thoughtful way than you would normally expect. It shrouds them in mystery long enough for you to question what, or who, is the ultimate enemy. That interest keeps Uncontained’s slow burning fuse lit until all its secrets are revealed.
Dan (Morley Nelson) is a drifter with a very particular set of skills. While walking through a snowy wilderness…he is shot by a blow dart and caught in a trap. The dart and trap belong to a young boy…protecting his little sister. The world is inhabited by zombie-like creatures. The children’s parents are nowhere to be found. After getting out of the trap…Dan tracks down the boy to get his gun and knife back. Finding the children in need of help…Dan ends up sticking around…unaware of the trouble on the horizon.
Dan initially just wants his weapons back and to be on his way. In order to get them…the boy requests that Dan “fix his house”. Namely…get the power working again. Dan inquires about the children’s parents and gets nothing in response. He finds a sophisticated contraption tying the power to a treadmill…but the children can’t generate the force needed to get it running. He obliges…and begins to find himself emotionally entangled with the children.
He discovers that the boy has been trapping zombies in the area…a practice he doesn’t understand. Uncontained has a good reason for it. One that Dan learns firsthand when the children’s mother returns…and a bullet hits him straight in the chest.
This is where Uncontained starts to reveal its cleverest ideas. Stuff we aren’t going to spoil in this review…but concepts that change the meaning of zombie infection in this world. The zombies don’t seem that threatening at first. The children have largely protected themselves from immediate dangers. The growing threat is more human than zombie. The mother is guarding a big secret…one that puts everyone in danger.
Uncontained doesn’t change its narrative as much as it reveals what’s really happening. It initially presents things without the necessary context to fully understand them. Forcing you to rely on your preconceived notions and the tropes of the genre to fill in the gaps. Uncontained is doing something more interesting with the material. There are a few surprises and tricks up its sleeve.
Morley Nelson writes, directs and stars in Uncontained. He creates a patient movie that spends the first half allowing actions to tell the story. There’s dialog, of course, but the children aren’t always being honest about their situation. Nelson’s Dan does a lot of heavy lifting to express his growing care for the children…without talking about it. It paints an intimate picture of a found family that will be flipped on its head when the mother returns. She arrives with a lot of answers…allowing us to finally, fully, understand the world of Uncontained.
Nelson’s script has several clever elements that we can’t discuss here…and he directs a good-looking picture. He sets up an emotional dynamic and litters it with secrets to be discovered. He also nails the ending. For a while, it’s difficult to see where Uncontained is heading. That’s a result of how the story doles out its information. It ends up in the right place for both an exciting and emotional finale.
Uncontained is a clear labor of love for its writer/director/star. He explores some fresh thoughts on an often-tired genre. The result is a movie that holds your attention and continually piques your interest. A thinking man’s zombie movie that makes moves to stay a step ahead of you.
Scare Value
Uncontained isn’t telling a generic zombie story. It features multiple ideas that we can’t get into in a non-spoiler review…but will be of interest to fans of the genre. Morley Nelson writes, directs and stars in the film…a clear passion project full of new ways to look at a zombie infested world. It’s not always easy to review a movie that deals in things we can’t spoil…but it is easy to recommend this one to people looking for a fresh take on some old ideas.
3.5/5
Uncontained Link
Streaming on SCREAMBOX today
