Uncontained

2025's "Uncontained" was, I admit, far better than I had expected...but I wasn't expecting anything good at all, so I think that's why it surprised me. Unfortunately, it could have been so much better. There were only a few reviews at the time I saw it, and although for the most part we largely agreed, our ratings varied between not so great and 10.

This zombie-ish, thriller-ish not really horror film stars Morley Nelson, who also wrote and directed it. Now that right there is usually a really bad sign. He plays a mystery mountain man with an enviable physique and the most muscular jaw I've ever seen who wakes up in the snow looking confused. Martial law is in effect because of a mysterious virus causing people to turn into vicious, feral killing machines. No sooner than he awakes he's greeted by a toddler giggling and waving at him and then he's put down by a tranquilizer dart shot by the little girl's older brother. When he wakes up again, the man is held hostage by this 7yo boy with a toy rifle/dart gun and told he can have his gun back and leave only if he helps them with the house they're in-which is currently parent-less. This part is real muddy and took the entire movie to understand. Anyway, the kid's mother had set up a treadmill in order to juice up a battery charger for electricity and the boy is too little to do it. So the man, named Dan-Dan the Man-sticks around to help the kids out and protect them from the random feral people. As it turns out, Dan is special.

After a few days, the mother comes back. Where has she been? Well, I can't tell you without spoilers. In fact, I can't really reveal anything else at this point. But her disappearance also explains Dan's specialness as well as why he woke up in the snow in the beginning of the movie. They all briefly become a family unit...which is funny because as it turns out they ARE a family unit for real. Really saved on acting fees, huh Morley? Anyway, a creepy redneck-y hunter guy named Carson keeps harassing the mother and stalking Dan because-and this is one of a few fuzzy parts for me-his daughter is missing. And in spite of martial law, the sheriff's continued warnings and people being told to stay inside their homes because, ya know, zombies-Carson has an entire well armed POSSE who are absolutely certain that Dan is responsible. At this point of the movie, things finally pick up, but they also get nuttier.

The conclusion of the movie to me was rather unsatisfying and silly, and seemed a little too convenient. BUT, I will give Nelson credit for not going the likely and predictable route.

First, the positives: The acting, while not Oscar-worthy, was okay. The cinematography showing the gloominess/loneliness/isolation and beauty of the vastness of mountains, snow falling and whiteouts was very effective. I enjoyed the family dynamic as Dan and his the kids (and the dog) began trusting one another and becoming a unit, although I would have liked to have seen more scenes of that progression. The editing was effective and unobtrusive. The score was good in the quiet parts, but...

The bad: The score in the action and tension scenes wasn't appropriate at all. To use acoustic instruments and just strum harder on them to create drama just doesn't work. The audio was a continuous problem, where I literally had to hold the remote in my hand to constantly crank the volume up or down in order to try and hear the conversations. This went for indoor and outside shots. Seriously, watch your levels! It was not only frustrating for me, but it caused me to miss some things while concentrating on adjusting the volume. The script was quite weak and while the plot itself wasn't bad as it did put a slight change on the typical zombie/infection genre, the conversations were wooden and I didn't understand why characters spent so much time not explaining things to each other. Maybe Nelson was going for the Man of Few Words thing, but I kept talking back to my TV telling the characters to communicate with each other. I mean, eventually they got to it, but normal human communication doesn't work that way.

Overall, it's not a bad film. I didn't impatiently start looking at my phone or fast forward through it, it was shot well and like I said, having not expected anything worthwhile at all, it managed to keep me entertained for the most part, so I can't be too tough on it.

As someone who rarely watches movies unless they're truly gripping and unique, I can confidently say I loved Uncontained. Honestly, this film is phenomenal-there wasn't a single boring moment. I was completely invested from start to finish.

The main characters, especially the two kids, were a standout. I adored how they acted like actual children-not unrealistically smart or mature for their age. The little girl's performance felt so natural, radiating warmth that kept me glued to the screen.

I'd give this movie a near-perfect 10/10, but a few loopholes nagged at me. For instance, I can overlook not seeing where the kids disposed of the couple's bodies, but what happened to the car parked outside their house? Did it vanish into thin air? There's no way the little boy drove it away.

That aside, Uncontained is outstanding. Its fresh take on "zombies" was thrilling, and the fight scenes had me on edge, desperately hoping the kids and the dog would be safe. My heart even dropped when I thought the man died after being shot!

After watching, I immediately searched for others' reactions-that's how much I enjoyed it-and was shocked to learn the main actors, especially the kids, are real-life family. No wonder their chemistry felt so genuine! I could rave all day about how refreshing it was to see kids act like kids, even in such a high-stakes scenario.

Verdict? Uncontained is a must-watch.

"Uncontained" (2025) is a horror film directed by Morley Nelson that attempts to offer a unique take on the zombie genre by focusing on character and atmosphere over action. The plot follows a drifter who becomes a reluctant guardian to two abandoned siblings during a viral outbreak. The film tries to build suspense by introducing different kinds of threats, from the infected to a ruthless militia, but it struggles to maintain a consistent tone. While the premise of the infected having partial, cyclical transformations is an interesting idea, the execution often feels sluggish. The dialogue, particularly the philosophical exchanges about humanity, comes across as forced and preachy, detracting from the genuine performances of the cast. The film's attempts to be a "thinking person's zombie movie" ultimately fall short, as the narrative meanders and the emotional payoffs feel unearned.

Is it worth watching? No. It's a tedious and uneven film that fails to live up to its own ambition.

Living in the wilderness, a man trying to protect his children from a horde of creatures roaming the area that have been reduced to a rabid, feral state is forced to stay at their house until their family arrives, which proves quite troublesome when various dangers threaten their chances.

This was a fairly enjoyable if somewhat flawed zombie effort. Among the better elements of this one is the immensely solid and overly fun setup that provides a rather intriguing take on the post-apocalyptic zombie survivor tale. Dropped into this one with the idea of the deadly outbreak having already struck society and forced mankind into pockets of survivors living in the snowy wilderness where they learn to fend for themselves all creates a strong starting point for this kind of genre effort. The focus on this one detailing the day-to-day life of the surviving kids as the guy arrives and tries to survive that includes him dealing with the intricate moments around the house taking care of the kids, keeping the property safe, and ensuring the creatures are unable to get to them which is a wholly unique touch to add to a zombie apocalypse. On top of that, there's a wholly intriguing touch here with the family dynamics being introduced with the arrival of the parent into the nix so that the interplay between the kids and the hunter gets another adult to work off of so everything makes for a generally fun time. That said, this one does have a couple of big issues with it. The main element with this one is the immensely underwhelming and general lack of action in this one. Even though there are some brief spurts where it does manage to inject some life into the proceedings with his defensive work against the zombies or the final encounter protecting them from the militia outbreak, there are not enough of these elements or even enough good ones to justify this one. It goes on far too long trying to detail him going around trying to deal with the kids and their work within the house before going back to deal with the zombies, and it's possible to forget they're out there so infrequently does it feature them. That doesn't help that there's almost nothing here about what's going on, from the reason for the plague, how the kids have survived, what the locals are doing about the creatures, even what the purpose of the militia proves, or even how the ending makes sense so it causes some big issues overall.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, and children-in-jeopardy.

I realize that some people won't be able to get past the lower budget, simple location. I think story trumps those details every time. Acting is better than I would expect. Well produced, directed, and acted, considering. My wife and I really enjoyed it. Since I have to include more to make it to the requirements for the review. I will simply copy and paste what I have already written.

I realize that some people won't be able to get past the lower budget, simple location. I think story trumps those details every time. Acting is better than I would expect. Well produced, directed, and acted, considering. My wife and I really enjoyed it. Since I have to include more to make it to the requirements for the review. I will simply copy and paste what I have already written.