6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
An infection which appears to be caused by a bacteria in the water turns out to be more. A fourteen-year-old student, Dannie, feels the real cause is linked to her recurring dreams. When the infection reaches an epidemic level. it becomes clear that this infection not only kills, but restores the body to a minimally functioning state where the infected become the "living-dead". This unique twist on the classic zombie theme, centers around the highly-intuitive Dannie Jacobs and a group of four other middle school students who try to save their friends, their town and themselves in spite of the odds against them. While they are desperately trying to find an answer before it's too late, they meet researcher Sue who may hold the key to the infection and Dannie's dreams.
Starring: Rose Kent-McGlew, Alec Herskowitz, Tiger DarrowHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
2006’s “Pathogen” puts a film critic in quite a precarious position. On one hand, the movie is created by 12-year-old Emily Hagins, who pours her love of cinema, especially horror pictures, into the making of this no-budget production. On the other hand, the movie is made by a pre-teen perhaps unprepared for the technical challenges of the process. “Pathogen” is a riff on zombie outbreak endeavors, this time taking the action to the suburbs of Austin, TX, where the undead are rising, putting five middle-schoolers in a difficult position to save the world. It’s a backyard effort from Hagins, who’s sincere in her quest to follow her dream and realize her screenplay, but it’s hard to imagine this feature being of any interest to someone who doesn’t have a personal connection to the helmer.
"Pathogen" was a digital video production created with commercial grade cameras. The AVC encoded image (1.33:1 aspect ratio) presentation only gets so far with limited resolution, but there's a passable sense of frame information throughout the viewing experience, following the action into homes, schools, a grocery store, and the streets of Austin, TX. Color is acceptable, reflecting equipment capabilities and some degree of age.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA is also working uphill with the technical demands of "Pathogen," finding the sound recording quite uneven, which is perceptible during the listening experience. It's not a movie that emphasizes anything beyond scoring cues and soundtrack selections, which remain passably clear. Dialogue exchanges are restrained by microphone usage, with some lines muddy or faint, but this is an inherent issue.
Again, "Pathogen" is made by a 12-year-old person who loves movies and wanted to make one of her own. The ambition is lovely, but the experience of sitting through the film isn't quite as electric. Hagins has gone on to other features, including the 2017 Netflix offering, "Coin Heist," and it's impressive to see her work her way into a career, which is amazing. "Pathogen" is her first offering as a writer/director, and it should be approached as simply as that, detailing the big dreams of an amateur with a hunger to play bloody games with a big kids, and she actually made it happen.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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