The aspect of The Girl with All the Gifts by Colm McCarthy which feels the most correct is in its formalism. The spectre of a genre movie shot with such formal precision makes the experience of M.R. Carey adapting his own book seem all the more powerful. The addition of a talented cast, (Glenn Close, Gemma Arterton and Paddy Considine, just to name three), and a focused and measured approach make for a winning combination.

So why is it that the film feels like…a little too precise? Some of the effects feel a little too processed, though the budget was likely better spent elsewhere. It’s hard to pinpoint the missing element on the fact that the zombie, oh sorry, “hungry” movie seems a little bit confined to one space or that the subtle reworking from the novel add an unexpected element of modern social commentary which might not have been meant to be there.

Regardless of this, the movie at times feels like a take on Matilda and Miss Honey through Melaine and Miss Justineau.

[star v=35]