Exit Humanity Review
“Exit Humanity” (2011) was a nice departure from the usual zombie flick as of late, by far a great example of cinema and not just a movie.
Told with use of a narrator, the movie focuses on the reading of an old journal written by a Civil War soldier, named Edward Young, that describes the now zombie filled world a decade after the end of the war.
What starts out as one mans quest to live contently with his wife and son in the countryside turns into something he’d never have imagined. With his wife and son dead, both zombies who were mercifully put down by his own hands, he treks out alone headed towards the one place he might find some peace, a place he never got the chance to take his son to when he was alive.
But the journey is put on hold as a chance meeting with Isaac, a fellow soldier, recruits his help to save his sister, Emma, from a gang of rebel military men who have taken to kidnapping survivors and exposing them to zombie bites in the hope to find a cure. Edward’s descent into madness (and his constant yelling) takes a turn when Emma is found to be immune to the scourge, having been bitten a few weeks prior with no side effects, and the initial cause of the entire zombie apocalypse is discovered. Soon the General and his men come for them, for the cure and for justice.
Mark Gibson does a great job for his first major role in portraying a family man who has lost everything to the scourge. It is solely the narration that tops him, with Brian Cox’s haunting voice really bringing in the emotion to the film, especially when combined with its amazing soundtrack. Isaac (Adam Seybold) and his sister Emma (Jordan Hayes) along with the accused witch Eve (Dee Wallace) round out Edward’s new family and help him reclaim a reason for living.
The photography is beautiful, purposely bleached out to create this eerie period piece. Animation is used in a few scenes to hurry along the already lengthy story’s progression which adds a nice flare to the entire package. Even the zombie makeup isn’t too bad, with the director having no qualms about showing them in full sunlight and not just under cover of darkness.
If your idea of a good zombie flick comprise wall to wall zombies, brain splatters, and endless running and shooting, this is not the movie for you. Storytelling and emotion are the main focus (see “YellowBrickRoad” for another great example), while sorrow and heartbreak keep the number of feel good moments to the bare minimum. If there is a con to this movie it’s the journal itself. Its presence throughout almost reveals the ending ahead of time, making you less fearful for something to happen to our mighty protagonist.
Overall, I enjoyed “Exit Humanity” tremendously, it is a definite re-watch for me. I don’t know that I would rank it as high as some of the other films reviewed here at ӔHorror, but it’s still a great film.
With “Special Thanks To All The zombies.” (Listed in the credits of the film.)
