One of the worst movies I've ever seen

An action-packed slog

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

OK, so I watched it without much hope, since I had read a few comments here and I expected something quite bad, especially considering this movie doesn't seem to be widely distributed and it had been quite difficult to find. But I actually found out it really wasn't as bad as I feared.So first, a little summary - with quite a few spoilers, so be warned if you haven't seen it: two college boys accept to be part of an experiment in a pharmaceutical lab for what is presented to them as a test for a new drug for allergies. The test quickly proves itself to be something completely different though, as the drug being tested aims at making people more or less invulnerable. The problem being that it has quite nasty side-effects: first removing all feeling of disgust, then basically every kind of social inhibition, and also being extremely addictive. In the end, the movie gets into zombie-movie territory, even though there are actually no zombies in it, but flesh eating people who are almost impossible to kill are close enough…So of course, the characters are quite mono-dimensional, and there isn't a lot of surprise here. The most "complex" character seems to me to be Dr Wilcox, and I think Tricia Helfer did quite a nice job: she has obligations and wants it to work, she's probably paid a lot for it and she might also know how everything will end up if she fails, knowing who her clients are. But her doubts show more and more as the experiment turns slowly into a complete disaster. So of course, she has cheesy lines, but after all, she hasn't been the one writing the dialogue… I found the acting mostly quite good, considering the obviously low budget and the simple enough characters.I thought the atmosphere was quite good too, and I really ended up weirded out and wondering as the side effects started to show. The scene with the couple having sex while they are run over by cockroaches and don't seem to care the least definitely worked for me. The idea of having one of the study subjects needing an operation and ending up dying because it was impossible to cut her open as the wounds healed instantly was also very nice.There are a few things that were quite bad though, mostly because they were completely unbelievable: the team of 'specialists' putting explosives more or less randomly in the building, the two college guys miraculously succeeding to escape after we've seen them running before the explosion when they were like on the 4th or 5th floor (hint: the only way they could have escaped here would have been to jump out of a window, and from this high, they would be dead or severely injured), the Aaron guy still alive in the end, but with a wound around his neck (either he has taken the drug, and he wouldn't have the wound, or he didn't, and he would be dead), and the guy chopping a head off with an ax, which is so unrealistic that is is quite laughable.But in the end, I found the movie quite enjoyable. I spent a nice moment watching it, and I find myself remembering more the good points than the bad ones. I'll probably even watch it again one of these days.

The Three Acts:The initial tableaux: The opening titles show biological experimentation as the credits go by. We shift to Greg and Rob, two college drones looking for effortless money, being interviewed at Ravexin Pharmaceuticals by Dr Wilcox. The test was for 14 days; the money was over 3000 USD. They get to the testing facility and meet the other test subjects for the first round.Delineation of conflicts: Initially, the test subjects want to get through the 14 days and collect their cash. Later, the subjects just want to get out alive. The company wants to observe results.Aberrant behaviour and random health problems start manifesting after just a couple of days, and the first dose. The staff want to keep things calm, while the test subjects want to return to normal.As the doses continue, the weirdness increases. Greg finds that Ravexin (RXZ-19) is not about allergies. Also, it has more side effects.Resolution: Out of control clinical trial ends badly.

THE LAST EXPERIMENT is a low budget horror outing that has potential but squanders it through a generally overly familiar feel and slightly sub-par execution. It's hard to put your finger on what exactly is wrong with this movie, because the storyline isn't bad at all and the pacing is spot on. But it never manages to be scary or thrilling for a moment, and instead is content to wallow in gross-out scenes rather than moments of genuine exhilaration.The plot is about a group of diverse characters who volunteer as test subjects in a remote research installation. Unfortunately the drugs they're given have all manner of violent side effects which soon become apparent. The plot becomes more and more convoluted as it goes on, until the ridiculous twist ending. Also, THE LAST EXPERIMENT lacks decent actors to bring the characters to life, and you can feel the inexperience from most of the cast. Only a cameoing Eric Roberts reminds you of the calibre of actor who should be appearing in this sort of thing.

Bloodwork was entertaining and did justice for its genre. Aside from a slow opening, the film had a good pace the whole way through. The writer took a new spin on "zombies", focusing on the psychological evolution from man to beast. (Spoiler) Loved the set up for when Dr. Wilcox couldn't get through the chest plate of one of the patients. Thought this was a fantastic story element that you won't usually get in the typical zombie film. Overall, the film had a nice directorial style that was creative, but subtle enough to not take the viewer out of the picture. Acting was not the greatest, Van Winkle was good, Johnny Depp 2 was a little too Johnny Depp. Aaron, the assistant, was had one of the better performances, and was a good sense of comedic relief. Definitely worth the view.