"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
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