Director – Phil Stevens (Flowers)
Starring – David Chopping, Samantha Coppola, and Angela Jane
Release Date – 2016
Rating – 2/5
Horror fans are too fucking hostile and too temperamental. You either like what they like or they are going to rage on you. A few years back director Phil Stevens was making a name for himself among horror fans with his gore flick Flowers. The film seemed to be a hit among the underground horror fans that love their gore. Unearthed Films pick it up for distribution and sometime later MVD sent me a review copy. I really liked the look of the film and the gore but the film was not for me.
I love gore but I need a story with substance. I wrote a mostly negative review but I did have some nice things to say about it which didn’t matter. Soon after posting the review I got several emails from angry fans with accusations that I didn’t really like horror and other bullshit claims. Horror is such a broad genre and just because I don’t like gore flicks that have no story doesn’t mean I don’t like horror. Not long ago Unearthed Films acquired Steven’s follow up film Lung II and released it on DVD. Once again I want to thank MVD for sending a review copy my way!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows an unknown man wondering through a desolate city where he encounters the macabre and gruesome. He crosses path with others lost in this sick world and encounters feverish flashbacks to a painful past.**Spoiler Alert**
People often confuse my negative reviews for bad reviews. I try very hard not to destroy someone’s hard work but I do feel the need to pick out the good, bad, and state my opinion on the overall film. Hell, why would you read my review if you didn’t want to know my opinion. Flowers wasn’t a bad movie. It had great gore and looked fantastic but the story was lacking especially for a feature length film. Lung II is more of the same. The look was damn near perfect with top notch gore but the story was not that compelling.
The acting in this one is unconventional. The characters are not brought to life with mannerisms and dialogue. Instead, you see the characters by how they react to the situations that they happen upon.
The story for this one is very simple and straight forward but there is not enough substance. The film would have worked as a short but as a full length film it is difficult to watch. A majority of the scenes are rather boring.
Finally, this film is filthy. Just the way many of you gore hounds like it. The effects are fantastic but they are wasted in the way the film unfolds for the viewer. Overall, Lung II is an ambitious and bold project. The film has a look that many filmmakers can only dream of capturing but the film lacks story. If you want mindless gore and effects with nothing tying them together then this film is for you. If you want story to go with your gore you are barking up the wrong tree.
