I just watched Pandemic (2016) online, and it was nothing special in my book.
This movie seems a low budget, city version of The Crazies (2010). However, it was not as well done. The set designers of this flick seem to have an addiction to thin, plastic sheeting I just don't get.
Yes. It's an apocalypse of sorts, and there will be trash and abandoned vehicles all over the place. There will also be a scattering of bodies all around, but they seriously needed to lay off the thin, plastic sheeting. I've seen movies from the sixties and seventies with better setups. I kept wondering if I should check the grocery stores to see if the produce and meats were naked in their display cases.
Wardrobe also needed work. The color coding of team member uniforms put me in mind of a Crayola designer. It makes me wonder if they didn't have a three year old stashed somewhere who picked out four crayons and said these will do guys.
Another problem I had with this one was the size of the teams. They're going into an extremely hostile environment. They're outnumbered by hundreds, if not thousands, and they're sending in just four people. Are they nuts or just stupid? I'm thinking stupid, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
The team members are your typical military tough guy Gunner, played by Mekhi Phifer. I'm telling you, this guy's acting is so bad I've seen less cheese on a triple cheese pizza. He needs to get a job pumping gas, cause he damn sure doesn't belong on the screen.
The next member is the driver Wheeler, played by Alfie Allen. The character is basically a so-called tough guy con looking for redemption, I guess. I have to say, I think I'd have more fun sticking my fingers down my throat and puking my guts out then watching this guy in a movie ever again.
I don't know who came up with the names for these two guys, but I hope they never have children. If I was their kid, I'd hate for them to pick my name. Their naming style could make a baby crawl back up into the womb and refuse to be born, and I wouldn't blame it. These two cookie cutter characters really helped a lot in killing this movie.
The ladies didn't do any better, at least not in this one.
I felt bad for Missi Pyle, who played Denise. Maybe if she'd been given a better script, and better everything all around, things wouldn't have been so bad. I saw her on Law & Order: SVU not long ago and she was great. I've also seen her in other guest spots in other TV series and was pleased with her performance. Given a good script and crew she does quite well, but this movie didn't have either of those for anyone. Watching her trying to slog through this movie was painful.
The character Dr. Lauren Chase was played by Rachel Nichols. Now I've also seen this lady in some other things, and she did really well, but not the case in this film. Like Missi she was saddled with a poor character, and no help from anything. I have to say considering her performance in Continuum, Criminal Minds, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and some others, I felt bad for her too. I have to say she and Missi were both short changed on quality for this flick.
Not even with the help of Paul Guilfoyle could this film be saved from getting a thumbs down. This man is a phenomenal actor. I've seen him in more things than I can remember the titles of, and he never seems to disappoint. If he has, I must have missed it.
You might remember him from Las Vegas C.S.I as Captain Jim Brass, or maybe Air Force One as The Chief of Staff. He also did Mrs. Doubtfire with Robin Williams and Ransom with Mel Gibson, and these are just a few great things he's done over the years. Lately, he's been doing Colony. You don't see much of him in Pandemic, but you do see he does well.
My only thought is Paul must have been bored out of his mind, and they caught him at a weak moment. Otherwise, he probably would've read the script and beat the writers with it, at least until they ended up in intensive care, then walked out of the room.
If you like being unimpressed, this a movie for you. I won't watch it again. Once was agony enough.
IMDB: Pandemic (2016)
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