Unnatural (2015)

"Some things were never meant to be."

Plot

A multinational corporation experiments with genetic modification on polar bears in their remote Alaskan research lab in an attempt to make them resistant to climate change. When the latest test subject manages to escape captivity, it heads to the nearby Black Rabbit Lodge where a group of models have arrived for a photoshoot in the company of a local hunter and his Native Alaskan assistants.

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The killer bear genre is often neglected. You had Grizzly, probably the most famous of the bunch and a more serious horror outing, Claws (obvious Jaws riff) and Prophecy (about a mutated bear so a bit dafter) back in the 1970s before there was a length barren spell without any entries. Recently in the 2000s and 2010s we've had Grizzly Rage, Bear, Grizzly Park and Blackfoot Trail. Compare that to how many killer shark or crocodile films we've had in the same period and bears are grossly underrepresented. It's not very often that genetically enhanced killer polar bears crop up in my watchlist so it's not rocket science to see that Unnatural headed straight to the top of the pile once I realised.

Unnatural does have a bit of a Sy Fy Original feel to it to begin with, most likely due to the limitations of this type of formulaic story, but it's a minor quibble. Once the narrative starts to move forward, it's clear that this isn't going to be your typical modern day monster movie and feels very much like a old school genre flick. Straight away the cliches roll in thick and fast including one of the new arrivals complaining about no phone signal, the lights flickering with remarks about the generator needing filling, and how long it'll take for help to arrive if something happens. But Unnatural doesn't need to worry about familiarity with this type of genre because it plays on that, knowing its audience and treating them with a bit of respect and a wink. Director Hank Braxton isn't out to reinvent the wheel here, just do something that people will enjoy for what it is.

There's a solid pace throughout the film and things seem to flow quite naturally, moving from one incident to the next without it being overly forced (only one decision by two characters to get in a truck and try and escape seems a bit illogical given the circumstances). Once the bear has homed in on its next food source, the kills start to come thick and fast and there's a reasonably-sized cast to whittle down so you won't be waiting too long in between set pieces. There's a bit too much skulking around in the dark woods in the middle section with various people all heading out into the bear's domain for various reasons but on the whole, the atmosphere is good and there are some scary and tense moments throughout. One attack on a small, remote shack has a solid build-up before a sudden jump moment which allows the audience to get a real sense of what the characters are up against.

Unnatural keeps its titular monster hidden for a lot of the film, with only fleeting glimpses through tree thickets, through windows or on CCTV cameras. There's no CGI bear here (thankfully), it's all done with a rather large puppet/animatronic which looks better than it has any right to do and gives the attack scenes far more weight and realism. This polar bear doesn't take any prisoners when it's taking out the characters either. It doesn't do anything stupid or because the plot needs it to change its behaviour at a specific point so a character can escape. Once this thing has singled you out for a mauling, it's going to do that and the kills are pretty brutal - not exactly gory but Unnatural does a fantastic job with the sound of bones breaking and crunching.

The cast do a solid job given this isn't Oscar material they're dealing with. James Remar is a dependable hand in the lead role, all low key and grizzled using his experience to give his character plenty of world-weariness. Sherilyn Fenn makes little impression as the scientist though. Graham Greene has one of those "he's in loads of stuff" faces and Ray Wise must have spent about an hour shooting his scene which bookends the film. Ron Carlson, as the obnoxious photographer Brooking, is instantly dislikeable, not least because he looks like some Temu version of Ryan Reynolds. He also co-wrote so it's a bit suss when he gets the film's only sex scene. And no review would be complete without a mention of the two models, Allegra Carpenter and Ivana Korab, who look so stunning I had to include a photo of them on this review. Everyone on the cast is game and there isn't a bad performance from anyone. They know what they're making here and invest the characters with as much life and soul as they need to for the script.

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Final Verdict

Unnatural is a decent timewaster, not perfect and has its flaws, but manages to overcome them with plenty of heart and soul. It's clear that everyone making this actually believed in putting on a good show, from the director, to the writers, the effects team and the actors. It's good fun without being too patronising or formulaic.

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Unnatural Also Known As: Maneater Director(s): Hank Braxtan Writer(s): Ron Carlson, Arch Stanton Actor(s): James Remar, Sherilyn Fenn, Ron Carlson, Graham Greene, Allegra Carpenter, Ray Wise, Ivana Korab, Q'orianka Kilcher Duration: 89 mins