Chrysalis

source: Battle Apocalypse

This Z-Apocalypse movie is a lot better than most of the other low budget films in the genre. I simply don't understand the hate that some reviewers exhibit in their reviews and comments. What are they creating? What are they doing with their free time... other than leaving nasty remarks on IMDB about other people's projects? (The first time I saw this film was a few years ago when IMDB still had message boards, and the comments being left kinda ticked me off as they really were undeserved). Anyway, I just re-watched it and here's my take fwiw. The film starts with a young couple trying to get by in a desolate environment. They come across another survivor and slowly all hell starts to break loose, but the movie ends on a satisfying tone. It's not perfect, but as someone who has seen hundreds of zombie films, I appreciate movies that try to do something a little different than the typical "run for your life" theme in this genre. If you're looking for adrenaline and explosives, this is not that film. But if you enjoyed the movie "The Battery" and "Maggie", you will probably enjoy this one.

...around halfway through, "Chrysalis" should have remained the extended short it was likely conceived as when its first desolate locations were discovered by its creators. Undoubtedly inspired by AMC's "The Walking Dead" (no small surprise given director John Klein's association with Ross "Aaron" Marquand), this regrettably retitled-for- video-release apocalyptic tale just doesn't offer up enough legitimate conflict to fill out its bloated running time. DP/writer Ben Kurstin extracts maximum atmosphere from the fortuitous ruins, and the cast tackles his sparse script as gamely as one might ask of a lo-fi production, but the truth is that the whole thing could've been tightened right in half with no loss of information and a probable increase in impact. I think there's a lot of talent wrapped up in "Chrysalis" that has yet to flower, but I can only recommend it to genre completists and followers of low budget indies.

Had to review this film since the rating is so much lower then it deserves to be. The quality of this independent lower budget movie is absolutely OUTSTANDING. The cinematography, editing, sound, score, to the acting and special effects are close to ga-zillion dollar budgeted Hollywood films. It may be considered slow paced by some,(this movie is more along the lines of the film "The Road") It was perfect for me. I good human story in the setting of apocalyptic survival. With characters I cared about mixed in with some really good zombie monster bashing, without gratuitous gore. The perfect balance.

UK title - The Living Dead. When my friend lent me this on dvd he did warn me that it was slow & boring. And he wasn't lying! Three survivors of a zombie style apocalypse are holed up in a large, abandoned building. Zero marks for originality. This film focuses more on the relationships & interactions of the three rather than the infected, so is as much a drama as it is horror. Your typical zombie fan will feel somewhat short changed. Acting, production values etc are OK. A short sex scene does liven it up briefly, nice hooters! Overall though, it's a bore and offers nothing new to a sub genre that's been done to death.

UK title - The Living Dead. When my friend lent me this on DVD he did warn me that it was boring: and he wasn't lying! Three survivors of a zombie/infected apocalypse find themselves holed up in an old, abandoned building - zero marks for originality! This film is as much a drama as it is horror, a lot of the running time focuses on the relationships & interactions between the three. Many zombie fans will feel short changed. Having said that there is some zombie action, plus a brief sex scene to liven things up (nice hooters!). Acting & production values are OK. Problem is that it's boring, predictable & adds nothing new to a subgenre that's already been done to death.

Chrysalis is an intriguing little low budget horror that manages a different sort of twist on the traditional zombie tale...which is not such an easy feat, considering the saturation of the sub-genre these days. Discussing it, however, is essentially a spoiler- as it is only revealed in the final twist of the film. The film basically takes place 25 years into a zombie apocalypse, which dawned on the masses in the form of a virus that was released during a string of terrorist attacks that went down simultaneously across the globe. Canned food and ammunition ran out long ago...and survivors are beginning to dwindle. We find ourselves following a relatively young couple (which is pertinent because of how far into the aftermath we are)- Josh & Penn- who have been on their own, scavenging, for some time. They are the sole remnants of formerly larger group whom did not make it this far. They live in an old abandoned building. Eventually another pair of people make their way into the building the young couple has been squatting. The guy get's bitten on his way in, and is forced into exile (before he turns); but they bring in the woman, and share what little food they have with her. This woman- Ariba- tells them that she is trying to rendezvous with her group that had been forced to split up; and also recounts a story about how she was born amidst the onset of "the infection" (as they call it). Turns out she was also bitten at one point. But her father quickly "cut out" the infected area before it spread. She still seems to be infected, though it hasn't yet turned her or made her zombie insatiable. This is where the twist comes in...--SPOILER--...apparently she is in some way acting as a lure for the zombies- whom are drawn to her like moths to a flame. In the end, not only are they drawn to her via some sort of pheromone or something...but she also seems to be the SOURCE of the infection...or at least it's cause...as if it was divinely sanctioned for her to perish, as her survival rendered it necessary to unleash a zombie apocalypse upon the world to take her out...or something like that. Kinda hard to say, as you are left to piece together the details for yourself. This film essentially relies on it's locations, which make perfect backdrops for 25 years into the zombie apocalypse. This allowed the whole thing to retain a polished quality on what was clearly a low budget. The acting is fair. I've seen some complaints, but I don't think they are warranted. I suppose a bit more background info on the characters could have been desired; but it was certainly not required. As the conclusion rolled around I found myself feeling quite attached to them. The gore is limited, and the action sparse, but that plays into the storyline- as they have set it up. My only beef with this film would be that it didn't offer any explanation as to why one person's death would stave off a 25 years running zombie apocalypse. I mean, that is a bit implausible and absurd. Certainly some sort of explanation could have been tied in somehow. It would have made the ending feel less forced. That being said, however, it's not a terrible film for what it is. 5.5 out of 10.

So, the acting isn't that great, but it is competent enough for the most part. The budget was probably minuscule and they made do without all the flashy effects and gore that seem so prevalent in what passes for horror movies these days. What you get for your time is a character study. Josh, Penelope and Abira are a simple group of survivors just trying to stay alive. The plot doesn't get any more complicated than that. Yet despite this simplistic plot, the story remains interesting throughout. Admittedly, the ending was rather inevitable, but it was still entertaining nonetheless. If you're looking for The Walking Dead, or something similar to Romero's movies, you'll be disappointed. Lower your expectations and just enjoy it for what it tries, and succeeds, to be - a small tale set against a larger backdrop. EDIT: So, this movie has been re-titled Battle Apocalypse (which is a really lame title, to be honest) and given a DVD release. The new artwork with its nuclear explosion is terribly misleading and the tag-line "The Winner Gets Life" suggests some sort of combat-related competition. Nothing could be further from the reality of this film and it is disappointing to see them trying such a marketing tactic just to sell a few lousy DVDs. SUMMARY: Worth a watch if you're tired of 'save the world' heroes doing impossible things and surviving impossible odds. A small tale that doesn't try to overreach itself and does well as a result.

I was more than surprised by the quality of this movie, especially when I found out the previous title was "Battle Apocalypse." I'm glad they changed it to Chrysalis, because a serious drama benefits from a serious (and not overdone) metaphor. The locations and cinematography are excellent, as are the dialog and acting. I don't have any real complaints - this isn't an action or horror film, though action and horror both play a part. This is a very human film, driven around the nuances of character and relationship, and to boot is much more hopeful than most of the post- apocalyptic genre. I'm very glad I saw this movie, and hope the filmmakers make many more. Much more solid and assured than most indie films, this might be the best one I've seen at any film festival.

I thought it was extremely well done. The beginning was a little slow, but because the film was rich in characterization, that's gonna happen. To me, character development is a plus, because then you actually care about the characters. I have to say that if you're looking for a movie with zombies, zombies everywhere, this isn't it. This has zombies, walkers, biters, infected, whatever you want to call them, but the main focus is the character development. For low budget - according to IMDb.com, it cost $35,000, they did a great job on making the sets look like they are from an apocalypse. I've seen movies with much bigger budgets that had much worse results, so give this one a try. There wasn't a weak link in the acting, writing or directing IMO, except the one sex scene, which was kinda out of place and unnecessary, but the girl did have nice breasts. lol. The people were in such a hurry to get out of that area, but as soon as Abira leaves to find some water, Josh and Penelope share a verbally intimate moment, and then a sexual one. lol. It's not that the scene was badly done, it wasn't. Just that it took away the feeling of urgency that they had for getting out of that place. The actors all looked like the world sat on them and kicked them to the side of the road, and that's how they should appear since it's an apocalyptic situation. It went through the dire need to find food. When Abira was asked if she'd eaten, her response was "Today?" Showing that eating every day was not a usual event for these characters. Towards the end, Abira tells Josh and Penelope that the zombies are chasing them because of her. I didn't see that coming, and I thought it was rather unique. However, I don't know why the zombies wanted her over anyone else. That needed a bit more explaining. And no, I had nothing to do with this movie other than being an audience member. Many zombie movies are done in an action-adventure way, like Dawn of the Dead. If that's your speed for zombie movies, then this probably won't be for you. However, if you like movies that - again - are rich in character development, along with some zombie moments that are scary, you should give this a try. Personally, I thought this was much better than that Brad Pitt behemoth, World War Z. I don't think anything touches The Walking Dead in the zombie genre, another that does great character development, but this doesn't try to. They simply had a story to tell, and I think they did a great job telling it. As an indie-movie maker wannabe, I have a ton of respect for those who have a story, are willing to chase their dreams, and do what they can to bring those dreams to life on film. Bravo to everyone involved in this production. I've given this an 5-star rating. One thing I didn't like about the film was the title. I understand what they were getting at, because I assume they named it after the Chrysalis butterfly, but they should've given it a catchier name that has to do with zombies or an apocalypse. But hey, if the movie's title is the biggest problem, you'd have to agree that the movie makers did a pretty good job.