Panic at Rock Island (2011) Movie Review, Trailer, Film Still and Poster

Australia, New Zealand 2011
Director: Tony Tilse
Cast: Grant Bowler, Zoe Cramond, Eli Kent, Vince Colosimo, Damian Walshe-Howling, Marshall Napier
Rating: 15 (Australia)
Release Date: 24 July 2011 (Australia)
Running Time: 1 hour 31 minutes

The Movie Review

Panic at Rock Island film still 1


PANIC At ROCK ISLAND
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It's bright and sunny day at Rock Island in Sydney Harbour, the home of Rock Island Festival which features various rock bands from all over the world. Jim Quinn (Grant Bowler) is the state emergency director --AKA the dude in charge for the health matters of the state-- has issued a thorough check up at the airport which is frowned upon by many people claiming to be a nuisance. The deputy premier (Marshall Napier) --and is a dirty politician-- insists on Jim to lift up the airport screening and dismissing the possibilities of incoming flu virus just for the sake of pleasing the making-money tourists. Jim's colleague, Louise Olsson (Simone Kessell) ia shocked to find a very weird virus from a man whom they find at a tunnel in the Rock Island.

The mysterious homeless John Doe (Peter Mack) is initially found by teenagers, Michael Zed (Eli Kent) and Arianna (Zoe Cramond) who was sneaking through the tunnel of a AVP medical company to get to the Music Festival backstage crew area when they unexpectedly encounter a very sick and bleeding person beneath it. Unfortunately, after some research the virus is declared to be highly dangerous and it belongs to the level 4 Biohazard category which means ebola-like and no vaccine can be discovered to cure them. No doubt, this rock festival would bring something different to the atmosphere of Sydney, from the hysteria of all music festive to the hysterical masses engulfed in fear. But the origin of the virus is a big mystery until a colonel named Hirsch (Vince Colosimo of Daybreakers (2010) and Scorched (2008)) shed light on the matters at hand. But will it be too late for all the clueless festivalgoers flocking the Rock Island?

One amusingly gripping movie Panic at Rock Island is. Aside from seriously annoyingly stubborn and dumb-headed character armed also with equally annoying dialogue(and it's very annoying! Arrrghhh) which I would be glad to see her killed on-screen, Panic at Rock Island is truly a movie for the weekend. Shot in a rocky island of Goat Island, Sydney Harbour, the cinematography is great as the viewers can enjoy the view and some shots are of aerial type. At least it's not the remake of the Spanish Rec (2007) although it borrows the camerawork style in some scenes.

From the director of "unique" movies titled Scorched (2008), Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback (2007) and A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne (2009), we got Panic at Rock Island... And while it isn't the greatest virus outbreak movie the world ever seen nor is it the worst. The plot is simply predictable in spots and it deals quite heavily in several cliché twists. However, the performance are solid all around, especially Grant Bowler and Zoe Cramond; the pacing is tight and pretty fast; there are many dramatic scenes though predictable-but-still-good-to-see; many and many scenes of vomiting fiesta either water, food or black blood which are repulsive --kudos to Sheldon Wade of Makeup Department who had worked in The Reef (2010) and Black Water (2007)-- but great to heighten the sense of emergency and outbreak-panic! I, personally really enjoy watching Panic at Rock Island, it's beautifully shot but also gruesome in some parts as a good reminder of a horror flick. I would definitely watch it again in Cinemas had it ever got screened in Jakarta.