Island Zero

Perhaps if more of the modern-day horror directors were to watch some of the older - less technically sophisticated/lazy - efforts in this genre, they might realise that cutting off cellphone and wifi coverage doesn't actually create a scary environment for a story. It really takes some proficient acting/writing talent and some imagination - creative elements that this film sadly lacks. Anyway, an island off the coast of Maine suddenly finds itself incommunicado and the increasingly hysterical residents start to wash up on the beaches. Luckily, they have the military-trained "Maggie" (Laila Robins) on hand and after a bit of panic, some duplicity and a degree of rudimentary deduction a band of half a dozen who manage to keep their heads, deduce just what's pursuing them. Thing is, though - can they thwart the violent ambitions of their new co-residents? Every expense has been spared on just about every aspect of this. The visual effects rely on night vision camera infra-reds to compensate for the lack of a focus for the terrified folks on the screen and the bemused ones watching it. The darkness and over-scoring is left to do most of the heavy lifting as this rumbles along to a denouement that left me wishing their visitors had prevailed about an hour earlier. Twenty minutes too long and instantly forgettable, sorry.