must watch

source: Population Zero

Moviecut—Population Zero

I went into this movie knowing nothing about it, really. It was on Hulu, and I figured it was going to be your standard found-footage horror schlock. I was mistaken! This is actually less 'horror' and very much more 'crime drama'. You will find yourself invested in the characters and the story, and there is no gore, monsters, aliens, etc. to be found. The film is very much about the characters and the crime. One of the best things about this film is how it was shot and put together. Although I knew it was fiction, it seems very real, like a true documentary. The actors do a great job too. However, it's the mystery that will really reel you in and keep you captivated. Definitely worth a watch!

I didn't read anything about Population Zero before watching it and to be honest I thought it was a documentary for almost half of the movie before realizing it was a mockumentary. So credits to the actors in the beginning that made it look genuine. Acting is good when it doesn't look like acting. Once it looks like acting you're actually not a good actor, that's paradoxal but that's how it is. At half of the movie it was suddenly obvious there were acting scenes, so not a good job from those actors. But for a mockumentary I have to admit I enjoyed it. It's well made and the story is interesting. Population Zero is low budget but it isn't bad, certainly not for the way it's shot, with handycams, not really the kind of cinematography I normally enjoy.

"Population Zero" was not at all what I thought it would be! That was good news for me because I found myself thoroughly engrossed just about the entire time. The movie is documentary about real events that happened in Yellowstone National Park. Three young men were brutally murdered. After the murders, the killer immediately turned himself in to police, gave him his statement, and that seemed to be the end of it. Boy, was everybody in for a surprise. The killer's appointed attorney seemed to find a loophole in the law, and the killer walked free. That loophole will be explained during the movie. First, I was impressed especially by the cinematography. Some of the scenes of the sunsets are breathtaking. I questioned from the beginning of the movie "is this real, or is it fake?" Towards the end, however, the answer became obvious. I thought whoever came up with this explanation had his picture well thought out. I will have to admit, this one had me fooled right up until the end, which (with a little different editing) could have REALLY made a different impact. Had the original "Blair Witch" gone this way when it was released, it would have had an even bigger impact on its audience. All in all, I quite enjoyed this. I do not think this movie was rated, but it contains some disturbing images, as well as language and violence.

The tag line for this documentary, "in 2009 three young men are killed in Yellowstone National Park", caused me to think I would be watching a typical investigative journalism piece. Evidence would be presented, key actors in the case would be interviewed and whatever occurred that was relevant to the murder would be re-enacted. Boy, did I have it wrong! This documentary, for someone like myself completely unawares of this murder and unfolding, left me speechless. The presentation of the story was meticulously crafted, delivered and filmed. With a story like this, the decisions about what and how to let the audience know the facts that have been uncovered are critical to leaving the greatest impact, without overstating events. This documentary is wildly successful in this regards.

It's too slow. It watches like a boring documentary. Could've used more film elements since it's actually a mockumentary. Skip it

The concept of a fake documentary is an interesting one. The whole time I was watching 'Population Zero' I kept thinking to myself, would I be enjoying this more if it was a real documentary? The answer is of course yes. The biggest problem with the fake side of it is that every time it tries to take itself seriously it just comes across embarrassingly. When it focuses on the story and mystery element it's fine, however when it tries to get heart-felt interview answers out of terrible actors it is nothing short of cringe-worthy. The story is certainly the strongest part of 'Population Zero'. Quite an interesting plot line is developed and it drives the movie along well. Director and star Julian T. Pinder also quite impressed me. He had just enough charisma to carry the film. Some of the dialogue he had to work with wasn't particularly well written at times, so his acting can come across clunky on occasion. I don't think that was entirely his fault though. There's a half decent film hidden somewhere in here. Just some slightly better pacing and some script tweaks and this could have been something special.

Don't waste your time. Everything is fake. Not believable from any stage. Argued with my room mate from the beginning it was fake and it clearly was! Go watch literally anything else!