Isolation

If nothing else, you’ve just got to admire the seriousness with which director Billy O’Brien has chosen to tell this admittedly silly story. Isolation revolves around the consequences that emerge from genetic testing on cows, as the experiments have created a deadly breed of parasite that kills indiscriminately. O’Brien takes his time in getting things going (this is an incredible understatement), forcing the viewer to sit through countless sequences in which characters attempt to figure out what’s going on. This strategy works for a while, particularly in terms of creating an atmosphere of dread, though the almost nonsensical elements within O’Brien’s screenplay become more apparent as a result. But at a certain point, it’s impossible to overlook the feeling that there’s just too much buildup and not enough payoff. Still, the whole thing’s never boring exactly, and the exceedingly disgusting special effects liven things up every now and then. It would’ve been nice if there had been more of that, however.

** out of ****