Netflix has finally released the highly anticipates Cargo, starring Martin Freeman, over this weekend and we got a chance to check this film out last night.
Cargo throws you right into the desperate situation of a husband, wife, and baby as they are living (trying to stay alive) while on an old boat.
Rations are slim and life is dangerous for the trio and things take a turn for the worst when Andy (Freeman) comes upon an abandoned boat and decides to pillage it for rations and items.
During his exploration, Andy hears a noise coming from a door in the boat and quickly makes his escape from, what we assume to be, a zombie.
Kay, (Susie Porter), decides that she will explore the boat too, for whatever illogical reason, and she too encounters this zombie, only she is unable to escape from being bitten, and, infected.
This puts a timestamp on Kay’s life and marks as a turning point in the film as her eventual, and unavoidable death, thrusts both Andy and their daughter onto a different path of survival, now making their way towards a military hospital.
This forces the trio to leave the comfort and safety of their boat for the wild and unpredictable journey on land.
Kay eventually succumbs to her infection and now Andy and his daughter are forced to go it alone, but, things take an interesting twist after Andy starts feeling the effects of a bite he received from Kay during her downfall.
This is where the movie starts adding layers to the storyline, with tribes, additional characters, and a villain, Victor, all added to the mix.
Andy and his daughter come across various groups of people all taking their own approach to survival and all taking a different mindset.
While some, such as Victor, believe that the world will return to normalcy and are using this time to build a foundation of power, others, such as Lorraine (Caren Pistorius) seem to have already accepted their fate, and seem to project a miserable and defeated attitude.
Others, such as Thoomi (Simone Landers), prove to be resourceful, determined, strong, and heroic.
While Cargo has it’s points where it can drag a bit, it doesn’t take away from the overall story.
Zombie movies have been done too many times to count, but Cargo takes a fresh approach that doesn’t seem to put itself at the mercy of gore, brutality, and our typical zombie hoard.
Instead, Cargo focuses on the story of humanity and the tough choices that lie ahead, putting the importance, and focus, on making decisions that impact loved ones, even if it means putting your own life in danger.
Where Andy takes an “at any means necessary” approach to ensuring the safety of his daughter first, and himself, other families choose to accept their fate and take the path of suicide to avoid an infection.
Fright Nerd Score
82
frights
Summary
Cargo will likely have a long run on Netflix and shows off Netflix's renewed focus on the horror genre, and this particular film is an example of things trending in the right direction.
Fright Nerd Score82
