The Vanguard (2008)

Nice effects though.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Blistering performances.

In 2015, the world is a chaos. The last known oil fields have been lost to global war, over-population has reached critical levels, food and water is scarce. Anarchy prevails. Mankind is in the verge of a new Dark Age.During the upheaval, one Corporation has emerged to become more powerful than any government. Its base of operations is a fortified city known as the Red Zone. As the outside world burns, the Corporation implements a depopulation program to cull the human race. The scientists tasked with the heinous act revolt. The drug they are instructed to develop should pacify and then slowly kill; but instead, the scientists turn mankind into something beyond their worst fears. Out of the darkness a new species has arisen. They are dominant and savage and their number far exceeds what remains of mankind. For the few survivors lost to the wilderness, they are known only as Biosyns. The lonely Max Carter (Ray Bullock Jr.) survives wandering through the devastated world waiting for Hareem Jabbar (Bahi Ghubril), a man supposed to rescue him. He stumbles in the wilderness with the deserter Jamal (Shiv Grewal) that was tracking him and Jamal believes that he is the antidote for the plague. Then they meet with the scientist Rachael (Emma Choy) and her mate Zac (Steve Weston) and after many problems they walk together to the South escaping from the Corporation and the Biosyns in a dangerous journey. "The Vanguard" is a low-budget film with a reasonable storyline but poorly executed. The acting is good, but the film seems to be a weak pilot of a TV series, excessively talkative and going nowhere. With a better screenplay, direction, locations and budget, "The Vanguard" could be a reasonable movie. My vote is three.Title (Brazil): "Vanguarda" ("Vanguard")

I'm not going to beat around the bush - The Vanguard reeks of amateur student film-making. I'm not talking about the low quality of the stock, the lighting, the acting, or anything like that. Those things are all evident but not important. No, I'm talking about the self-important yet somehow meaningless voice narration, the tribal drums soundtrack, and the failed attempt to shoehorn in a political agenda... you know, the very things that student filmmakers live and breathe for.It's sad, because it it wasn't for those weakness, this would be an exceptional zombie movie. It has a fresh take on zombie lore, some great action scenes, and some very engaging and sympathetic characters.Matthew Hope - if you happen to read this - here's my tuppence for your future career... hang up the student pretentiousness and focus on what you're clearly better at - action and characterisation - and you will go far indeed.

Once you read the other comments on this film you quickly figure out that people seem to either love or hate this movie. Which I believe would probably classify this movie as a success in the directors eyes with that alone.First this is not really a zombie movie (or infected for the purists) in the normal sense of the genre (they are only a minor part of the story) so if that's what you're looking for you may want to keep looking.This was a refreshingly new and fairly unique storyline for a movie within the zombie/infected genre. Typically a movie in this category can only keep your interest with gore or suspense, however with this film it was the story itself that keeps you watching.If you're hoping for a big budget 28 Days/weeks later, or George Romero type of movie with tonnes of Gore and a refined script.... then you may want to re-watch those.But if you enjoy a low budget movie with a decent script where all people involved with the project genuinely tried their best to make it work I would definitely recommend this.

These days I believe that everyone wants the same boring story with all sorts of cool special effects and to be wowed. This movie brings such an intensity to its genre and is a very special film. Sometimes, it is important for people to experiment and try something new and when you see this movie it is for sure something new. Now at times it can be slow but all in all the movie is terrific and it should be viewed by all those who have a taste in movies that are not part of the normal mainstream. So take a chance I think you will be presently surprised and if not then maybe you are just not into the independent horror/scifi/independent film. That's okay, see this movie with an open mind and leave and don't think hey compared to this and this it wasn't all that great. This is an original doesn't need to be compared just enjoyed and appreciated.