MUTANTS

A virus is decimating humanity; those infected begin to mutate into monstrous and aggressive beings that only aim to kill others. The only hope for salvation for the nurse Sonia, her boyfriend Marco, and the police officer Perez, who are crossing France in an ambulance, is to reach a military outpost that broadcasts a message of salvation via radio. Sonia and Marco, however, do not get along with the irate Perez, and during a shootout at a gas station, the police officer loses her life and Marco is injured. Sonia then finds refuge with her boyfriend in a large abandoned building, but the man has contracted the virus. In 2009, from France comes "The Horde," a beautiful action zombie movie that renewed the classic siege situation with a modern rhythm and language. But in 2009, also from France, comes another film that refers to the cinematic zombie imagery, focusing more on the aspect of contagion; this film is "Mutants." We might say, however, that "Mutants" has little to do with the undead, but rather falls more into the realm of "28 Days Later" and talks about "mutants," as the title suggests, living beings that have contracted a virus that makes them monstrous and aggressive. The film directed by David Morlet owes a lot to the saga of Danny Boyle in various aspects, ranging from the behavior of the infected to the post-apocalyptic/realistic scenario that serves as the backdrop to the story, even touching on the story of the military base that broadcasts the message of help. You will understand, therefore, that Morlet, also the author of the screenplay together with Louis-Paul Desanges, has leaned on a well-established imagery that in recent times has almost reached saturation, thus renouncing any semblance of originality that his story could have. Even the story of the slow and painful transformation of the beloved in front of the helpless companion recalls "Zombie Honeymoon," although with less romantic emphasis. Despite this marked predisposition to re-propose the already seen and the already told, "Mutants" is still a good product, well conducted and capable of capturing the viewer's attention. The viewer is immediately thrown into the story and accompanied by three characters who are initially difficult to like. A few minutes and the parts are immediately defined, with the exit of the scene of the unpleasant and arrogant police officer, who, however, seemed the only one really capable of surviving in that hell. The attention is entirely focused on Sonia, well played by Hélène de Fougerolles ("Les dents de la nuit"), forced, for love, to take on the role of the nurse even in a world where social roles no longer exist. Caring for her companion, delaying his inevitable transformation, and at the same time surviving the idea of losing him and the attacks of the monsters always lurking: these are the primary concerns of the protagonist. And if we have a first part focused on the relationship between Sonia and Marco and the terrible and slow disease of the latter, the second part follows the stylistic elements of action and horror cinema, with the intrusion of the monsters (and not only) in the building/fortress that the two occupy. This second part follows all the standards of the genre, boosts the rhythm, and does not skimp on violent scenes that end in splatter. The photography by Nicolas Massart is very good, illuminating the film with predominantly cold colors, in perfect harmony with the snowy setting that serves as the backdrop to the story. The sense of déjà-vu is therefore very strong in "Mutants" and the breath of fresh air that had been felt with most of the French horror productions of recent years is missing. The product is still valid and well made, and if you are fans of zombie movies and the like, a look at this "Mutants" is a must.