Movie Review: ‘SALVAGE’

Terrorist attacks, biological infection, parental irresponsibility – all of those fears lie in this film.

After being dropped off by her father, Jodie (Linzey Cocker) arrives early at her estranged mother’s home to spend Christmas Eve with her.  Unfortunately, due to what her mother Beth (Neve McIntosh) is doing instead causes Jodie to storm out of the house in a fit of anger.  As an audience, we get a character shift to what looked like was going to be a story from the daughter’s perspective to the mother’s.  Shortly after this incident, Beth, the mother, along with the whole neighborhood goes into a state of lock down as military black ops personal invade the British cul-de-sac to eradicate a threat. While the threat is unknown, residents are forced into their homes and are shutoff from all communications.

While the scenario sounds like Déjà vu, director Lawrence Gough actually puts a different spin on it.  Not only is Beth trying to repair the relationship of her daughter, now they are separated and thrown into this unlikely situation.  Beth and her companion try to escape the clutches of this ruthless militia force who seem to be more interested in containing the problem by killing everyone in the neighborhood.  What is unknown is what the threat is.  Honestly, I’m still a little confused as a viewer.  The opening scene of the film will confuse many because in context, the first thing that audiences will think is that we are watching an infection film.  Later, there are scenes when it is indicated that it is a monster-on-the-loose film.  We even see glimpses, dark glimpses, of a monster.  I’m still not sure if this was maybe a mutation film or what, but either way…it is a tense flick.

Salvage is mainly carried by actress Neve McIntosh.  McIntosh’s Beth could easily be a character that an audience wouldn’t mind if her life was shortened based on the way the opening scene where her and her daughter see each other, or the way her character’s actions are handled.  However, we care about her and how she will get to her daughter and get out of this situation.  There is also enough blood and gore in here to appease the average horror fan.  Salvage is an above average infection/monster (seriously…was it a monster or an infection?!) that makes it worth a rental.

Visit the film’s official website at http://www.salvagethefilm.com/