Mayhem

Ein weiteres Völkerballspiel im Büroumfeld. Diesmal stehen keine Vampire oder ein Regierungsexperiment dahinter, sondern ein weiteres verdammtes Virus, das Menschen zu mörderischen Bastarden macht. Zu Anfang ist Mayhem ziemlich nervig in seiner Redeart und er schmeichelt dem jüngeren Publikum unnötig durch großartige Zeitlupenaufnahmen, schnelle Schnitt-Bearbeitung und einen vulgären Wortschatz. Aber in den actionreichen Passagen sieht es gut aus, und die blutigen Dreschszene, begleitet von dem ohrwürmigen Song "Motherfucker" von Faith No More, ist sogar großartig. Freude macht die Schräge in der Gesamtheit, aber das Fehlen eines deftigen Blutbads lässt zu wünschen übrig. Für die sexuell attraktive Samara Weaving ist es nach The Babysitter eine weitere maniakalische Rolle, leider hat sie ihre Brüste hier auch nicht gezeigt, obwohl sie hier eine Sex-Szene hat. So weit so gut. P.S. Es mag ein Zufall gewesen sein, aber während des Films fiel mir etwas in mein Auge. Ich konnte es lange Zeit nicht entfernen. Mein Aussehen ähnelte der Infektion mit dem Virus ID-7 sehr. (01.12.2017)

Exactly the kind of lightweight bloody bollocks that you need once in a while (if you are a jaded matador of A-list Hollywood like me). A virus that strips people of all moral scruples must have looked fantastic on paper, but ironically, it's a shame that the idea was so ambitious in terms of story – I liked the simple informational intro, the setting of the action in a large building full of bureaucrats, and the well-crafted gore, but the film spends most of its runtime on some stupidly explained legal screw-up that threatens the protagonist with the loss of his job, and the virus itself mostly lurks on the sidelines. In the second half, the deaths pile up quite solidly and with the right amount of bizarre exaggeration, but there is still the aftertaste of an unrealized entertaining theme. And that's a shame, because Joe Lynch isn't at all uninspired and isn't afraid to go stylistically crazy (the opening montage of several months of work in one long take could be given as an example of effective manipulation of plot time), and the supporting characters are quite good (Samara Weaving, as in Babysitter, is great and confirms that she's the Margot Robbie of B-movies). Sometimes you simply need to get unleashed, here too much was spared at the expense of a routine story. But it was still OK. 65% (12.09.2018)

There aren't many expected horror movies left before the end of the year, I'm not even sure if we'll get anything interesting yet, but Mayhem is definitely worth a look, although I expected more based on the trailer. Mayhem certainly doesn't escape comparison with the recent The Belko Experiment. We're slowly building a new subgenre of office rat, but as with The Belko Experiment, Mayhem falls short of the promised carnage potential – with 300 employees, the lack of gore is unforgivable. The film also has a rather slower pace and is very talky, and though there is some witty and intelligent dialogue at the same time (which perhaps explains the 80% on the Rotten Tomatoes), I wasn't overwhelmed by immense fun and excitement. I loved the seductive Samara Weaving, last seen in the sexy The Babysitter (could she be a new horror star?), the interesting and well chosen main characters (the likeable protagonist, the tough boss and his bodyguard). The action is decently filmed, dynamic and the fights are pretty badass, but it’s all sorely lacking a scene I'd like to watch again or something that would downright knock me on my ass. The entertainment is decent though and you won't find many films like this, but there's no reason to get too excited here, even though there should be. 65% (10.11.2017)

The American production Mayhem is basically a slightly different take on zombie movies. Trying to survive in an office building put under quarantine during a zombie apocalypse is hardly an original concept. However, it still works, and it is quite entertaining as a one-time-thing. If you waste an evening on this, you will not feel disappointed. Just take it for what it is. (31.07.2020)