Almost Human (2013) - Joe Begos

It has been nearly two years since Mark Fisher disappeared in a flash of blue light from his home.  His friend Seth Hampton and girlfriend, Jen, were the last two people to see him alive.  Having no explanation into Mark's disappearance, Seth was the number one suspect of the authorities, but with no trail to follow, the investigation eventually vanished.  Now in the present, a string of mysterious, violent murders leads Seth to believe that Mark may have returned, though this version may not be entirely human.  Joe Begos Almost Human is a simple, straight-forward creature feature that borrows heavily from John Carpenter's The Thing & Invasion of The Body Snatcher, in delivering a fun, albeit slight low-budget horror film.  This is a film that is far more interested in gore and creature effects than story or characterizations, as Almost Human suffers from poorly developed characters, bad acting, and lazy writing.  Mark's supernaturally-fueled disappearance has left Seth's life in shambles but the film spends very little time exploring Seth's psyche - a man who was accused of his friend's murder, who is still desperately seeking answers.  Seth's lack of depth isn't a singular problem, as no characters in this film show much intelligence or ingenuity, with Almost Human simply using them as pieces of meat, to be destroyed by their alien-creature.  For a low-budget feature, Almost Human features impressive creature work that's inventive and unique, guaranteed to make the audience squeamish a few times. The sound work is equally impressive, amplifying the brutal violence and terror of the film through synthetic music that is certainly reminiscent of the work of John Carpenter.  While Almost Human is a great example of how to do Sci-Fi Horror with very little budget, the film's lackadaisical approach to characterizations and overall story make it an OK creature feature that's rather forgettable due to having no characters worth being invested in.  

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