Directed by Colm McCarthy, The Girl with All the Gifts is a post-apocalyptic thriller with, you guessed it, zombies—because the apocalypse is way more exciting with man-eating people running around! But the good thing about the zombie genre being so saturated right now is that we’re starting to see filmmakers take a different approach to the tired trope, which is exactly the case with McCarthy’s film. The Girl with All the Gifts has stayed relatively under the radar—surprising considering it has a wonderful cast—so the trailer is a total treat and it looks fantastic. It kind of has this 28 Days Later vibe if it were set in the world of Children of Men (real quick, let’s reflect on how fucking good that movie is), and I just love how they refer to the zombies as “hungries”. That is awesome.
The Girl with All the Gifts was adapted by M. R. Carey from his own novel of the same name and it opens in the UK on September 23. Saban Films is closing on U.S. distribution rights, so I’d imagine we’ll be hearing of a release date here in the States sooner than later.
The film is set in a dystopian world where a seemingly normal and very intelligent little girl lives in an underground army bunker with other children her age. They are all experimental cases being examined by scientists – led by Dr. Caldwell – to find a cure for a fungal spore that has infected the planet.
It stars Gemma Arterton, Glenn Close, Paddy Considine, and Sennia Nanua.
themissingreel.com 
I think I’d be jumping out of my seat every 10 minutes in this one!
However, I liked what Glenn Close’s character had to say about bringing the world hope. This looks like more of a thought-provoking end-of-the-world film.
Exactly, and that’s why I was immediately impressed with the trailer. It not only shows the horror side of the apocalypse, but it hints at a story with much more meaning. Could be good!
Oh wow, this looks phenomenal!
It really does. It also kind of came out of nowhere, which is pretty surprising.
If you have not read the book, I really urge you to…it’s beautifully written, haunting, and almost entirely from Melanie’s point-of-view. She is a deeply heartfelt hero, and the trailer captures some of her magic and soul. As “Silver Screenings” points out, it’s thoroughly thought provoking, and Glenn Close is perfect in that role. I’m so happy they’ve adapted it. Now we just need the Southern Reach Trilogy turned into a Netflix series!
Thanks for the insight! I was curious about how good the book was—sounds like the material is great, so hopefully the adaptation captures some of what made the book so powerful!
Hmmmm, this looks like it has quite a bit of potential.