Pontypool
Pontypool
NR | 29 May 2009 (USA)
Pontypool Trailers

When disc jockey Grant Mazzy reports to his basement radio station in the Canadian town of Pontypool, he thinks it's just another day at work. But when he hears reports of a virus that turns people into zombies, Mazzy barricades himself in the radio booth and tries to figure out a way to warn his listeners about the virus and its unlikely mode of transmission.

Reviews
Protraph

Lack of good storyline.

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Dynamixor

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

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Teddie Blake

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

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Matylda Swan

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

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irresistiblezarry

I was looking forward to watching it after reading loads of positive reviews but I just wasted 90 minutes or so of my life

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goldenarrow-99823

"God bug" - mad scientist Dr Mendes Wow! What a pleasant surprise this was.Or rather, what a disturbing, unsettling and downright creepy surprise it was.Never have I seen a 'zombie' film with such little violence and blood. In fact I can't recall any actual violence that I saw, other than poor Laurel-Ann trying too hard to get close to Mazzy. Even when Grant & Sydney have to beat one of the 'conversationalists' to death, we only see them stamping away from just above the victim.Interesting that they are to be called 'conversationalists' rather than 'zombies' according to director Bruce McDonald;"There are three stages to this virus. The first stage is you might begin to repeat a word. Something gets stuck. And usually it's words that are terms of endearment like sweetheart or honey. The second stage is your language becomes scrambled and you can't express yourself properly. The third stage you become so distraught at your condition that the only way out of the situation you feel, as an infected person, is to try and chew your way through the mouth of another person." Interview with Bruce McDonald I accept this but only to a certain extent. From stage one to two it's a credible step. But from scrambled words to eating faces is one biiiiiiiiiig leap!As is often the case with a good film, it got me thinking. The idea that a virus (or whatever you want to call it) can be transmitted through words is really novel but how did it originate....?Wonder if it's not biological/chemical weapons that whoever is the US's current number one enemy possesses but a toxic vocabulary?Or maybe nobody has yet mastered it and the Pentagon are working on it. They will have me 'removed' for going public and blowing the whistle on their little scam.

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Lucie Carpenter

Excellent premise; but the execution of the story line was incredibly poor. As a result, what could have been a very gripping, unusual thriller was instead 1 hour and 36 minutes of trying to follow absent leaps of logic and non-developed reasons behind plot twists. Definitely something to be watched more than once. I would be interested in how different watching the movie would be after having read the book.

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DogFilmCritic

Thanks to a friend that recommended this movie I got to see how amazing this underrated film is. As the horror genera plots are very saturated, this movie takes a new angle.I had no expectations at all nor did I read what it was about ,I saw it and it blew my mind, this movie feels more like an intellectual film rather than a simple horror movie as it makes you think and use you imagination, a lot of it is tell rather than show as you have to paint images in your mind to get an idea of what's going on, it builds more in suspense and tension instead of shocking visuals and gore. Think of a cross between Orson Wells war of the worlds and George Romero night of the living dead. It can feel claustrophobic at times as most of it takes place in a basement with a blizzard going out side, the cold tones and the dark surroundings with a creepy atmosphere are all over the place it keeps you wanting to find out what's out there.My explanation or trying to understand what's the virusThe virus is part of that world, is an invisible entity and dose undeniably exist, the characters are aware of it. A event just happened and we will never understand it, it's a phenomenon if it defies logic then we disbelieve in its existence, accepting things we will never fully know the answer it's unquestionably, it's simply just a fact. In actual history there's what we know and there's a lot of it we don't understand

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