The Lazarus Effect (2015)

Running Time: 83 minutes

Release Date: February 27, 2015

Review by: Stacey

Very few horror films make me want to actually go to a movie theater (save for seeing older films at the Drafthouse), so when I saw a trailer for 2015's The Lazarus Effect a few weeks before it's release, I was intrigued enough to want to go opening weekend.  People being brought back from the dead with a cast composed of Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, Evan Peters and Donald Glover?  Count me in, man.

 

 

 The film follows medical researchers Frank (Duplass) and his fiancee, Zoe (Wilde), as they work on a serum appropriately named "Lazarus" which would help bring the deceased back to life.  With their trusty sidekicks Niko (Glover), Clay (Peters) and videographer, Eva (Sarah Bolger), the group finds success in the revival of Rocky the dog and it seems like all their hard work has finally paid off.  Then bad luck strikes as their project is shut down and some shady dealings with a major pharmaceutical company (featuring radass Ray Wise) arise and their research is all but lost.  On a quest to prove the serum was created by them, they stealthily try to conduct one last experiment, with deadly results.  The group is forced to see if "Lazarus" will actually work on humans- particularly Zoe.  Mayhem ensues.

 

Right off the bat I'll say I liked The Lazarus Effect.  For being director David Gelb's (Jiro Dreams of Sushi) first feature film, he did a pretty good job of shooting a, for the most part, unique horror movie (I can already hear you screaming about Flatliners and Pet Semetary).  Not to mention, with the way it was shot, you almost forgot it basically just took place in a cramped and dim lab.  The first half of the movie was actually really good.  With a trailer that leads you to believe you're going to see another goofy ass possession movie, you're actually treated to a pretty cool semi-science fiction tale.  The build-up, the action, it all works...and then somewhere along the way it just plummets.

As I said before, I liked The Lazarus Effect, but it's not without it's flaws and that's what makes another potentially good horror film suffer.  The cast didn't suck at all, especially for people that we aren't used to seeing in horror (except for Peters).  Olivia Wilde shined as re-animated Zoe, especially with her creepy smirks and dead stares.  BUT, the lack of any real character development is just one of the film's pitfalls.  I see where writers Luke Dawson and Jeremy Slater tried to get it right and write an original horror movie but they just weren't strong enough to resist the powers of the horror tropes that plague most modern films.  

Along comes the end of the film, and it just gets goofy as fuck and completely burns itself to the ground (no pun intended..maybe).  But not before almost setting itself up for a possible sequel, and if it happens, maybe hire some new writers.  Just saying.  I wanted The Lazarus Effect to work 100%!  I had such high hopes for it, especially with such a strong first half, but as is the case with horror films these days, the end just wasn't effective enough to give it a lasting impression.

Who am I kidding, I'll still own the blu-ray.

3/5 re-animated doggies with super brain power  

Trailer: