This movie seems to be getting bad reviews and I think if you watch it expecting stellar acting then I can sort of understand the less than great reviews. However, I don't think the actors were all that bad and the special effects were actually far better than I expected. I've seen a lot of horror/science fiction films with more well known actors that were far worse than this film had to offer. I do not want to put any spoilers in here so I'll just say that I was definitely entertained and actually on the edge of my seat during the last twenty minutes or so. The special effects were as I said very, very good. If you are looking for a film with a well thought out plot and original story, don't bother watching this. If you are looking for a film to pass some time and be entertained by however, give this one a shot.

The Blackout is set in Los Angeles & starts on Christmas Eve as the city has been suffering from a heat wave, minor tremors have also been causing the local authorities concern. The Ravenwood apartment block is almost empty, most of the residents have left for the Christmas holidays but a select few are still living there hoping to have a happy Christmas. Suddenly a city wide power cut causes a mass blackout, candles & torches are the only source of light as the few remaining residents of Ravenwood discover that the apartment block has been infested with carnivorous creatures that like the taste of human flesh. With no lights or way of contacting the outside world for help the small number of residents must work together to try & get to safety before they all become monster food...Edited & directed by Robert David Sanders this typical low budget Creature Feature mix of Alien (1979) & The Mist (2007) as a group of faceless clichés are trapped in an isolated location & are hunted down by some generic creatures, the whole film is lacklustre & takes most if not all of it's ideas from better films. From the one dimensional character's who make you root for the monsters to the script that never really tries to tie anything together, the origins of the creatures are never explained except that there's a hole in the basement floor, the whole electro magnetic field angle isn't covered to any great satisfaction, the human survivors plans to escape the monsters just seem silly with one guy actually trying to find one to test some silly idea out he has & the significance of the tremors or where those huge rock spires come from is left unclear. Then there's the stupid script that has people do stupid things, people constantly split up, while being chased by flesh eating monsters these people keep stopping for little chats, some guy randomly decided to bring a gun to a Christmas party, after seeing a long trail of blood a little girl decides to follow it rather than run, the whole elevator shaft escape turns ordinary people into superhuman climbers & when the elevator does drop why does it explode like it was full of explosives? The character's are bland & forgettable, to be honest I had a hard time keeping track of who liked who, who was related to who & who hated who since they all lack any sort of personality. At a shade under 80 minutes at least it's short & there are worse films out there but as far as Creature Feature horror films go The Blackout isn't anything to get excited about at all.The main area of interest in a film such as The Blackout is obviously the monsters themselves, here they look exactly like what they are, men in rubber monster suits & a CGI style Scorpion tail. They are pretty inanimate, they open their mouths & occasionally blink but there's no great facial movement or dripping slime or moving tongue or any little detail that might truly convince us that these creatures might actually be real. There's a bit of gore, someone is decapitated & their body slides down a wall independently of their severed head, there's some blood splatter & a monster sticks the end of it's tail into a woman's face. Despite taking place during a total city wide blackout there seems to be a lot of light about, especially in the basement & the elevator shaft which really should have been pitch black.Filmed in Los Angeles on what was probably a low budget The Blackout does look quite slick at times though the effects are no better than average & the clean modern apartment building interiors fail to generate much interest, tension or atmosphere. The acting is pretty bland but none of the actor's are given much to work with.The Blackout is a by the numbers people trapped in an isolated location getting killed off by monsters type horror film, while not the worst of it's kind the negatives like people splitting up all the time outweigh the positives like a short duration.

In a creature feature, the atmosphere and setting play part of the biggest role. The apartment building and the basement setting are pretty weak. The opening was kind if interesting, but once we got into the apartment itself, the movie went downhill pretty quickly. There are very few quality moments in this, and the fact of the matter is that the story, acting and overall attempt at horror with this movie was pretty thrown together.The CGI didn't blend well with the live action footage, and the creatures themselves looked wooden and lifeless. The girls were good looking, but none of the characters were given even a modicum of development in order to care about their fates. The frenetic pace of the action was confusing, and there The only good things about The Blackout was the musical score which wasn't half bad, and a couple of the shots were quality. Overall, a PASS!

When I first noticed this film I thought that it would be just another poor attempt at some alien horror movie but a friend had told me he had enjoyed it so I decided to watch it and was really surprised at how good it was.It only contains a small cast but they all work well together, each role well thought out and well acted, unlike a lot of low budget films the script was well written, the acting was good and the whole film felt it was made with a large budget. The film is able to build the tension when needed, provide the right amount of action and even gives a good scare.Overall I would recommend this film, may not be a blockbuster but a nice way to spend 80mins.