Pure disappointment. I don't know about you, but men just don't scream like the characters in the Soldier. In fact men just don't scream at all. For us men, our only point of reference for screaming is from what we've seen teenage chicks do in the Friday the 13th movies and others of that genre. Perhaps that is why the screaming characters in this short film sound like a couple of 13 year old school girls. But, as I mentioned previously, what would anyone expect given that this is typical male's point of reference for screaming and why, therefore, the screaming done by men in this film is just so very unrealistic.
As for special effects, the blood was way over done. Instead of the 14 gallons or so that was apparently used, they could have easily made do with less than a couple of pints to display this effect.
As for the hatchet...who didn't see that one coming???? The old bury the hatchet in the forehead of the zombie routine. Then there's the hatchet itself...definitely not a 1940's or earlier Kraut designed hatchet. But is definitely a modern American design as are the rubber boots with the Goodyear tread worn by the dead Kraut. Here in Texas we call em mud boots. I wear a pair out to the barn every day to feed my horses so I don't have to worry what I step in coming or going. However, those kind of boots on the German solider made me think he couldn't afford jack boots and so he bought the closest thing he could find to them at the nearest Walmart. While I'm on props and such, the abandoned research facility, which would have been occupied until just prior to the D-Day invasion. However, the set was designed to show years of deterioration. As a former military installation that had been recently abandoned, this facility would have been in immaculate condition...meaning no peeling paint or other deterioration of the interior of the building and its contents. By the way, the absence of dialog,except for the screaming, was distracting.
My 3 rating is for the good job they did on the British soldier's great uniform. However, I want to be clear that there are certainly some very fine elements in this film, but the problem is that as a whole the film is just not A or B quality. As this director matures, he'll most likely turn out some very fine movies. But to get to that point, he'll have to leave the adolescent plot elements to juvenile film makers.
As for special effects, the blood was way over done. Instead of the 14 gallons or so that was apparently used, they could have easily made do with less than a couple of pints to display this effect.
As for the hatchet...who didn't see that one coming???? The old bury the hatchet in the forehead of the zombie routine. Then there's the hatchet itself...definitely not a 1940's or earlier Kraut designed hatchet. But is definitely a modern American design as are the rubber boots with the Goodyear tread worn by the dead Kraut. Here in Texas we call em mud boots. I wear a pair out to the barn every day to feed my horses so I don't have to worry what I step in coming or going. However, those kind of boots on the German solider made me think he couldn't afford jack boots and so he bought the closest thing he could find to them at the nearest Walmart. While I'm on props and such, the abandoned research facility, which would have been occupied until just prior to the D-Day invasion. However, the set was designed to show years of deterioration. As a former military installation that had been recently abandoned, this facility would have been in immaculate condition...meaning no peeling paint or other deterioration of the interior of the building and its contents. By the way, the absence of dialog,except for the screaming, was distracting.
My 3 rating is for the good job they did on the British soldier's great uniform. However, I want to be clear that there are certainly some very fine elements in this film, but the problem is that as a whole the film is just not A or B quality. As this director matures, he'll most likely turn out some very fine movies. But to get to that point, he'll have to leave the adolescent plot elements to juvenile film makers.
