Sunday, September 14, 2014

Antisocial (2013)

Sam is going to class over break because she did poorly on a test.  To make matters worse, it's New Years Eve, her boyfriend just broke up with her, and everyone already knows about it thanks to Social Redroom, the social media app everyone is addicted to using.  Sam is so upset she deletes her profile.

Sam stops by her friend Steves house, who is having a party later that night.  A few of Steve's friends are already there.  As they're waiting for the party to start, they see TV reports which warn everyone to lock their doors and stay inside.  Since this is the night of the big New Years Eve party, the group isn't in agreement as to whether they should let anyone in for the party.

But when a violent crowd tries to break in the house, the group of friends board up the windows and doors as they try to figure out how to survive.  Through their laptops, they're in contact with another student in the dorms who seems more in touch with whats going on.  They also connect with a young teen who was attacked by a friend while on live streaming video.

When a friend comes to the house, and seems to be infected, this brings about the moral question of what to do. Let him in even though that's risking their lives, or leave him outside where the crowd may find him.  This question is also tested when it seems someone inside the home may be infected.

I had high hopes for this, but it wasn't anything special and people do some stupid things, which isn't unusual for horror films.  When they think one girl has the virus, they tie her up and a bunch of them try to carry her upstairs.  No one shall ask why don't just tie her arms, and make her walk upstairs before tying her feet or strapping her to a chair? It would have been much quicker and easier for everyone.  She was even okay with being tied up since she insisted she wasn't infected.

The film is a commentary on the use of social media in our society, but unlike the blurb on the cover, I wouldn't refer to it as satire or genius.  My friends were reminded of the plot to Stephen King's, The Cell.

No comments: