The Girl with All The Gifts review – a surprisingly original and fresh take on the zombie film

‘In a dystopian future a teacher and a scientist embark on a perilous journey of survival.’

Zombies. We can’t seem to get enough of them. Ever since George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead came out way back in 1968 we have had a continuous flux of films and TV shows about the walking dead, that shows no sign of slowing down. What makes it a popular genre, I guess, is there is so much you can do with the concept. Essentially, it’s not about the zombies themselves but about the people left behind in a broken world where there are no clear rules or governing authorities, and what we’re willing to do to survive.

Based on M. R. Carey’s novel of the same name, The Girl With All The Gifts is the latest in this post-apocalyptic sub-genre. The movie’s set in a ravished Britain where the remnants of humanity are living in an enclosed military base and are shut off from the infected “hungries”, who are void of all personality and left with the most bases of instincts: to feed. Their only hope is a group of infected children who still maintain their humanity, and in particular, a gifted young girl named Melanie, who might just hold the key to a cure.

Despite the fact it’s part of an over saturated genre, The Girl with All The Gifts is able to transcend all those tropes that come with it and do something different and fresh with the story. For starters, faithfully adapted by the author himself who wrote the screenplay, and directed by Colm McCarthy, they actually do something original and give us an origin of the infection instead of keeping it as a mysterious event like most zombie films.

Presenting it as some kind of mutated fungus infection that gets into the brain, it gives the narrative a layer of authenticity, suggesting this could possibly happen. Additionally, McCarthy keeps the story moving at a steady pace as information is drip-fed to us as the narrative progresses, instead of bombarding us with exposition or voice-over like many films do. It doesn’t feel forced as we slowly learn about this new post-apocalyptic landscape, and it helps produce three dimensional characters, each with their own motivations and outlooks.

Speaking of which, the performances are all solid, especially newcomer Sennia Nanua as Melanie. A lot of the film rests on her and she does an amazing job of balancing those two sides of her character where one minute she’s a bright, inquisitive young girl and the next, a flesh eating monster wanting nothing more to tear the flesh off any living thing. She’s both sweet and terrifying at the same time. She’s also helped by the rest of the leading cast, who all do a great job in their roles.

Gemma Arterton as teacher Helen Justineau is really good in portraying this broken young woman who feels for these children and doesn’t see them as monsters like everyone else, and she and Nanua are brilliant in depicting a real paternal chemistry.

Equally, Paddy Considine’s Sgt Parks also gives an authentic transformative performance as he slowly grows to respect Melanie, and Glenn Close’s Dr Caldwell is probably the closest there is to a villain, but really, they’re all well rounded characters to the extent you can get behind each ones different perspective.

When it comes to the action, McCarthy handles the various set pieces expertly and knows how to create some great visceral scenes that throw you right into the mix. He also knows how to rank up the tension as one particular scene has our characters walk through a crowd of dormant “hungries” trying not to disturb them, which will certainly have you biting your nails. This is also aided by some excellent set design in the form of an utterly decimated London.

Also, the infected themselves are eerily portrayed. These aren’t the slow shuffling zombies of Romero’s world, but the fast moving kind that was introduced to us in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (2002). This might put off some purists but it suits this world, and adding different stages of evolution to the infected does provide something new.

‘With some solid characterisation and a well realised world, The Girl With All The Gifts is an engaging story with plenty of heart.’

Although some might argue it’s just another zombie film, of which we already have plenty of, it has enough originality in it to offer something different and justify its existence.