Automaton Transfusion Review

Written by: rerj73   

Let me begin by saying that I am grading on a curve. Automaton Transfusion, the zombie flick helmed by Steven C. Miller, is clearly a work of dedication and creativity, and this bleeds through almost every frame of the film. Unfortunately, the restraints of the camera, a few bad performances, and some overreaching make this a film to recommend, but not to revere. The story doesn't give the viewer much he hasn't seen before. Small town. Research facility. Inevitable zombie plague. Lead characters Chris, Scott and Tim head to the city to see a band while the rest of their high school, apparently, goes to a party at a farm house. When the zombie plague comes, our three heroes head home to rescue their families and Chris' girlfriend, Jackie. Bloodbath ensues. There are a lot of impressive things Miller has done with this.

One shot of an empty city street in particular had me wondering how they managed such a barren look with what must have been no real budget. The effects are also surprisingly good, and this is a film that one would believe is a testament to the idea that budget money should end up on the screen. For the most, it does. The camera, though, holy mother of all things headache-inducing... Jumpy, grainy, so clearly digital. The choppiness of the image is at its worst in the action sequences, where several seconds go by with no idea of what is happening on the screen. At one point, the faithful Blu-Ray player sent me an official letter of protest at having to throw these images on the screen.

Too many times, the screen would explode in undecipherable action, and all of a sudden the characters are in the woods. Fine, fine. There are also continuity problems, especially a couple of 'it's day, it's night, it's day' moments. The characters do not behave intelligently, and one freak-out at the end left me scratching my head. So, why even the decent score? Because this guy has talent. There is an intentional sequel already in the works, and I'll see it, and I'll be interested to see if Miller truly can fulfill his promise.