LD 50 Lethal Dose (2003)

People are voting emotionally.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

This isn't Scary Spice's (Melanie Brown) first movie. That would be Spice World, not that I would ever admit seeing that. It is her first movie since then, and she was an interesting character that met an unusual end.The Brits are famous for horror. Remember Hammer? Now, it seems they are famous for movies about radicals releasing animals. We do that here, but I don't know that we make movies about it. I don't think that many people really care over here, so we leave it to Peta.The thing is that the group left one of their members behind on a raid and he got three years. He sends them an e-mail about a secret lab that they should check out. That is when the fun begins; as this lab is underground and some really strange stuff is going on there.Now, I won't spoil it by saying what is going on, except to say that it was an interesting concept. The problem is that I really didn't care about the people in this film, and whether they lived or died. Maybe Katharine Towne (But I'm a Cheerleader), but even that is stretching it.Don't just scare me, but make me care.

This movie wasn't horrible, but it was not very good either. I got about what I expected when I rented it... a low budget sci-fi/horror movie that was at least somewhat entertaining.Plot: C+, It starts out with a pretty generic, boring plot, but it grows into something more intriguing. I think the way they suddenly just dump the concept on you detracts from its greatness though.Acting: C-, Acting was sufficient, but not great. They are about par with what you'd expect in a mediocre horror film. No one of the actors really stood out amongst the others as being exceptionally good, but one or two stood out as being exceptionally crappy.Special Effects: C, Not that great, but again, it was sufficient.Character development: D+, you don't really get attached to these characters. Part of it may have been the mediocre acting. The characters that stand out the most are the ones that follow the usual cliché character types. You have the tough guy, the smart computer nerd, the annoying goof-off joker, and more. The characters that didn't follow one of these cliché types really just blend into the background.Best aspect of the movie: The actual concept they present to you later in the movie (I won't reveal) is interesting.Worst aspect of the movie: Lack of character attachment. It's no secret people die in this movie, and when they do you'll find yourself not caring that much in most cases.

"LD 50: Lethal Dose" isn't that bad of an animal rights horror film.**SPOILERS**Several members of an animal rights activist group, Gary, (Ross McCall) Danny, (Leo Bill) Matt, (Tom Hardy) Helen, (Katherine Towne) and Justin (Toby Fischer) raid a chemical lab where animals are being held and release the animals, but when Gary is captured by their security system, the others scatter. One year later, Gary is in prison and the rest of the gang is getting worried that the new experiment Gary signed up for is bad news. When they bring their friends Louise (Melanie Brown) and Vaughn (Philip Winchester) in to help out, Helen joins in only to help get rid of the nightmares she's having about Gary. Last minute addition Spook (Stephan Lord) also arrives, and he, Vaughn, Louise, Helen, Danny, Matt and Justin head over to the lab where they believe Gary was taken for the experiments. Exploring the huge complex, they can tell that something isn't right in the facility, and it starts to freak them out. After some exploring, things really start to get freaky, and now the slowly dwindling group has to get out of the research facility alive.The Good News: Perhaps the best part of the film is the design of the facility the characters become trapped in. It's large in design, but the cramped rooms and long, barren hallways set up the mood perfectly. This film has tons of atmosphere, with the drab, gray walls and miles of cables running alone that really help out as well. Combine this with some choice lighting and you get a movie loaded with suspense and tons of interesting set pieces. It was also nice to see so much bloodletting in this film, as well. We get lots of the red stuff, in the form of chopped off arms, a very bloody knife stabbing, a couple of nosebleeds, and some head melts onto cement and then peeled away with skin spreading back too. There's more gore in the film, pleasing any real gore fan. Don't be too surprised at the mention of the nosebleeds in the earlier part of the film, they are far bloodier than you can think. One last thing about the gore: don't expect Fulci/Romero style gore in here. Think instead of supernatural artery blood flow. Nothing just trickles out, this stuff gushes out in spades. The special effects in the film are also first rate. To see people being hurled into walls propelled by flashing electrical bolts, or the fate of the whole crew at the end, this is full of great special effects. Even better still, the film sets up the last half of it as a series of chilling set-pieces and non-stop shocks, all because the middle half is so brilliantly put together. The suspense is incredibly unnerving, and following the group as they explore the facility, unsure of what they're going to find. This is a great attribute for a film.The Bad News: Those going in expecting a killer creature film, like I did, will be disappointed by what I have to say next, so if you are planning on watching the film, don't read the next few sentences. There is absolutely no killer animals in the film. The only damage an animal does in the film is a small scratch that hardly anyone would feel if it happened to them. This is far more supernatural flick than anything, so it can be a little bit of a downer when it sets up attacks that don't come. The film also has the most annoying characters of recent times. The animals rights thing I'm okay with, but that really doesn't excuse the kinds of characters in this film. They are so retarded that I finally decided to make a comment on it. Being a person who's very tolerant of bad acting, this is bordering on the ridiculous. It's more of how stupid they react in their situation than anything. You have to see it to believe it.The Final Verdict: Bad acting and a real shocker of a plot line may be offset by some great suspense scenes and tons of gore. It may be equaled out, but that is all in the eye of the beholder. Give it a shot if you like this kind of film, you may be surprised. Just be careful that it's very hit or miss.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, animals in danger, and scenes of drug use

Maybe it's the non-stop landslide of American horror-by-numbers and slick Hollywood remakes making me feel a little ill, but LD50's slick Brit-horror action struck a real chord with me. The movie is low-budget, but great care and attention has been taken to make sure every part of the movie is as good as it can be. The movie instantly impresses, with properly lit night photography, beautiful lighting and a well thought out script full of believable characters.In terms of plot, LD50 is a halfway house between I Know What You Did Last Summer and 28 Days Later. A group of animal-rights activists is called to an abandoned military base by an ex-member of their team who went missing after capture. Upon arrival, they realise that something is amiss, and before long strange events occur, putting them in grave danger. It's an interesting plot, and while far from totally original, it was refreshing to see a movie that isn't a slasher or a ghost movie for once.As with any straight-to-video film, I have a few misgivings. While ex-Spice Girl Melanie Brown is actually very convincing in the movie, a few of the other actors aren't, namely the token Americans in the film, who kind of jar with the otherwise all Brit cast. Katharine Towne eventually won me over but was quite annoying and asinine in the first half of the movie, and the less said about Mel B's boyfriend the better. Despite this, I've gotta give Peter Lord his props for the unnerving Spook. Loved that dude.Basically, LD50's a solid, fun and fresh-feeling horror. It really ought to have been released properly, as it can certainly punch it's weight with a lot of the horror 'in-crowd'. Well worth watching.