Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: A group of friends visiting Europe decide to take a local's offer to tour the abandoned areas near the Chernobyl power plant.
Review: There is seriously something wrong with modern horror films nowaday, because they do nothing but waste potential (and my time). The beginning of this movie was decent enough letting the audience get to know the four main characters while slowly introducing three more which rounded out the entire cast (save for the background characters). The acting was also believable and the banter between the characters even felt real, but all of this gets brushed over once you realize the stupidity that awaits. Unfortunately, it doesn't take very long for this movie to go downhill fast with only, maybe, 30 minutes of entertainment. Fairly early on you will notice a most unusual choice from the filmmakers to use a shaky cam even though this isn't a found-footage movie; at first I kept thinking there was an extra character but nope. I mean, why the hell would they think this was a good idea? While I'm sure they will claim it's to bring a more visceral tone to the film, I will say it is because they couldn't afford decent makeup effects so they distorted the camera purposely as a pathetic means to mask this fact. And yeah, that's one of my big issues with why this movie fails so miserably as mutant humans make for a tired monster especially when you can't even make them look scary (or even have a single steady shot of one). One of the best moments of the film involves a bear so couldn't there maybe have been another direction to go? When, oh when, will filmmakers learn that mutated humans are not superhuman?! Especially in this case since it is never explained how the fuck these mutants can withstand the ridiculous amounts of radiation being given off by the reactors. The main characters at one point have their skin burning right off their bodies, but you're telling me if they just hang out for a little longer they will gain the ability to flip a van? Awesome! And why were they cannibalistic? I get that they would have been stretched for food, but then we see an abundance of wildlife they could eat as well as the fact that if they are eating each other, why are there so many mutants? Don't even get me started on the whole government knowing about the mutants plot line! Just pitiful. There are so many contrivances and flat out plot holes that it is hard to appreciate the decent atmosphere this film had going for it. Suffice to say, the ending is nonsensical, stupid, and a pointless zinger; so many shitty horror movies love ending on that beloved zinger! Ugh, the only reason I even rated this as high as I did was because it started off well with good atmosphere and the characters felt real (a lot of love for my boy Uri!). Other than that, this is just another forgettable piece of shit that brings the nauseating feelings of a found-footage film without any creativity and relies heavily on contrivances and cliches. An obvious pass unless you want to see writers who seem to confuse Ukraine with Russia.
Notable Moment: When the group is investigating an abandoned apartment building, they hear noises, and then a bear comes running toward them; it was quite unexpected.
Final Rating: 5/10
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