‘It came from another world. It did not come in peace’
Man Vs. is a 2015 Canadian science fiction found footage horror film directed by Adam Massey (The Intruders) from a screenplay by Thomas Michael, based on Massey’s storyline. The movie stars Chris Diamantopoulos, Chloe Bradt and Michael Cram.
Plot:
As host of his own hit TV series, Man Vs., Doug Woods is forced to fend for himself for five days in remote locations with no crew, food, or water, only the cameras he carries on his back to film his experiences.
Doug is in the remote woods for a routine episode, until he’s awoken by an earth-shaking crash. Things get weirder as it becomes clear he is not alone. Someone or something is watching him…
Reviews:
“Diamantopoulos is the best part about this found footage sci-fi-like thriller. If not for him, there’d be very little to enjoy. The suspenseful scenes and all the tense plot development is interesting. To a point. With nothing to justify all its slow meandering towards a lackluster conclusion, Man Vs. is barely mediocre, and ultimately mostly a huge disappointment.” Father Son Holy Gore
Man Vs. plays like a boring remake of The Blair Witch Project where every atmospheric element is spelt out for the audience […] The audience can guess early on what exactly is tormenting Doug on his trip – the digital noise on his footage is a dead giveaway. When the reveal happens, budgetary restraints hamper the weak conclusion from being menacing.” Wylie Writes
“The twist of who is following Doug around is spoiled very early on, and it’s a revelation that you’ll either love or hate. If you can deal with it, the payoff is fantastic and the film ends on the perfect note. Even if you’re unwilling to accept the reality that Doug is trapped in, the film still does a wonderful job of building tension…” Toronto Film Scene
“The choice to use low-grade CGI is pretty baffling as what they are used for […] could have easily been achieved practically and they’d have looked a hundred times better as a result. Chris Diamantopoulos is great as Doug, perfectly conveying his fear and confusion as everything goes to hell around him…” Addicted to Horror
” …this is a very well made, entertaining sci-fi/horror. The acting is solid and the cinematography is smart, but they are let down by the unoriginal aspects of the story and shoddy CGI. But to make a film that looks this good on such a low budget is a credit to the director.” UK Horror Scene
“An Alzheimer’s patient would still see the ending to this thing coming a mile off. Throw in a whole lot of dodgy CGI, and what you’ve got is a film that would be a case study in self-sabotage even if the first 2/3 of its runtime was absolutely flawless — which it isn’t by any stretch, but damn, compared to the final 20 minutes or so, it’s Oscar-caliber stuff.” Trash Film Guru
Release:
Uncork’d Entertainment distributed the film in the United States.
Main cast:
- Chris Diamantopoulos
- Chloe Bradt
- Michael Cram
- Kelly Fanson
- Sam Kalilieh
- Alex Karzis
- Constantine Meglis
- Drew Nelson
- Kate Ziegler
Filming locations:
Rockwood Conservation Area, Ontario, Canada
