- Director : Scott Walker
- Actors : Luciane Buchanan, Matthew Whelan, Zara Nausbaum, Regina Hegemann
- Language : English (DTS 5.1)
- Studio : Well Go Usa
- Country of Origin : New Zealand
- Number of discs : 1
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Media Format : Subtitled, Widescreen
- Run time : 1 hour and 40 minutes
- Release date : June 27, 2023
Creature features are often such a
straightforward sub-genre of horror that it largely dependent on the success of
the creature design and execution. Even the best script is irrelevant if the monster
is unbelievable or constructed with poor CGI effects. On the other hand, The
Tank proves that having believable and effective practical effects and a
unique creature doesn’t mean much if the story and the characters are blandly
unengaging.
Like the
beginning of many horror films, the plot of The Tank begins when a man
returns home to a run-down property. After a childhood dealing with his mother’s
mental illness, Ben (Matt Whelan) returns to a long-forgotten seaside vacation home left to him by his
recently deceased mother. Ben is hesitant to have anything to do with his inheritance
because of the troubling childhood dealing with his mother’s struggles and the
loss of his sister and father. In need of financial help, Ben and his wife Jules
(Luciane Buchanan) travel to the property with their young daughter, looking to
quickly sell it to the first buyer they find. Unfortunately, they soon discover
why the property has been abandoned and what the secrets have to do with Ben’s
mother.
Beneath the
seaside cabin is a water tank that unleashes an ancient reptile-like creature
that has been dormant for years. After filling the tank with water, the large
beasts emerge and begin hunting the family along with anyone else who comes near
the coastal property. One issue the story has is limited opportunities for victims,
which also keeps the death count relatively low for a horror movie. The creatures
are well designed and executed, but this does not prevent them from being underutilized
within the film’s plot.
Even though The
Tank is only 100 minutes long, it feels unnecessarily slow. It isn’t until
the discovery of the creatures in the final act that things pick up, while a disappointing
majority of the film merely leads to this conclusion without offering much
enjoyment for the audience. The Tank may have good creatures, but the
filmmaker somehow forgot that horror movies need to be fun to watch or have
something to say. While there are some good elements, they never truly come together
to make a good movie.
The Blu-ray release of The Tank comes with a making-of featurette, as well as one about the creation of the creature effects in the movie. For those interested in the construction of small horror movies, these extras might actually provide more than the film itself. There is also a trailer for the movie.
Entertainment Value:
4/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 4/10
Historical
Significance: 0/10
Special Features: 4/10
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