nickboldrini This is a slow moving zombie film, with not much action, or gore compared to some. But its got a different slant on the genre, in that the story is about parents trying to look out for their child. The setting in Australia gives the opportunity to look at new angles on the genre - how aborigines would cope in a zombie apocalypse. There are some nice touches - the zombies are different to what we've seen before, and I like the idea of a government issue zombie pack. This is a well thought through zombie movie, which is well executed. Worth a watch.

alcantaraj-16594 My score for "Cargo" was lowered by its semi-predictable story and Simone Landers' unremarkable performance. Fortunately, the film has enough pros to make it a solid thriller. PROS: 1. Martin Freeeman's terrific performance 2. The apocalyptic world built by the film. 3. The emotional depth seen in the film. 4. A smart scene in the end that involves "spaghetti." 5. The make-up. 6. A despicable character.

davideo-2 STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday MorningA devastating plague has spread out across the wild out backs of Australia. Andy (Martin Freeman) and Kay (Susie Porter) are struggling to survive with their infant daughter, but are forced to start moving when the threat surrounding them starts closing in, in the shape of hideously deformed zombies, mutated by the plague. After getting separated due to circumstances beyond their control, Andy is left to look after their baby, running into Thoomi (Simone Landers), a young aborigine child who will take him on a journey more terrifying than he could have imagined. Imagination and original ideas are things that the horror genre is usurping at an alarming rate. If you want some scares for your buck these days, odds are you'll be saddled with a stale, generic idea that has been explored many times before, and you'll just have to make do with some occasional jump scares to pass the time. Such is the case with Cargo, another Netflix original, and a joint collaboration between directors Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke. It is indeed a highly unoriginal and uninspired story, that tries to cover this with a creepy, unsettling atmosphere, but comes off six pence none the wiser. As the lead star, and certainly as the most recognizable face in it (which is saying something!) it falls on Freeman's shoulders to carry the film, but he has too much of a goofy, child-like face to really take seriously in such a role (or maybe it's hard to shake him as Tim from The Office!) It's not as if he had much of a film to save anyway, one with a promising concept that just fails to generate any genuine sense of tension or suspense. It's pace is a big issue, too, failing to create much of a coherent film and by the end it feels like it's dragging on much longer than it needs to. It all feels like a less elaborate take on Dead Calm, at least at the beginning, before descending into a stale, repetitive re-tread of every other zombie horror flick before it, one with only it's fairly unsettling, isolated atmosphere going for it, but failing to even make the most of that. **

victorygin-01759 Honestly, the film be may be more of an "8" in the grand scheme of cinema, but I want to help boost it out of the "6.4" it's currently at. "Cargo" is one of the best "Zombie" films ever made. Instead of an action-packed "survival-story", it goes back to the genre's roots and mixes the survival aspect with heavy doses of metaphor and social-commentary. I'll leave out spoilers, so let's just say there is a lot of layers to the fairly simple narrative. It's beautifully shot, in a landscape not often seen in many movies. The directors don't insult the viewer with tons of backstory and follow the "show, don't tell" principle. The viewer is simply dropped in this world, and puts the pieces together as it move along. Wonderful stuff coming from first-time directors. The actors are perfectly cast, and perform remarkably. Martin Freeman is always great, but he really excels in this role. He, along with Simone Landers, have to carry much of the film, and they develop a great chemistry, that seems authentic. If you are looking for a high-action-gore-fest, it's probably going to let you down. However, I'd recommend anyone to give it a chance, as you might be surprised at the unique ways this movie can be haunting in addition to it's "heart".It's also worth checking out the 7 minute short, by the same name , as it captures the overall theme in just one moment. It's impressive to see what a rich story they created out of that idea. However, I'd recommend you watch it AFTER you see the full feature to avoid spoiling a key moment.