Isolation DVD Review

• Actors: Dominic Purcell, Luke Mably, Marie Avgeropoulos, Tricia Helfer, Stephen Lang
• Director: Shane Dax Taylor
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R
• Studio: LIONSGATE
• DVD Release Date: June 20, 2017
• Run Time: 94 minutes

        After sitting on the shelf for several years, this 2015 action thriller has finally been given a release on VOD and through an exclusive Walmart DVD release. Isolation is home invasion horror mixed with a tourists-in-peril thriller, though it is ultimately as bland as a Lifetime movie, which is fitting considering how many TV actors make up the cast. Watchable as the film may be, it offers no surprises and very little excitement beyond the opportunity to see these beautiful actors in different roles.

        Isolation begins with such a sluggish pace that it is easy to believe it was inspired by true events. Creighton (Luke Mably) and Lydia (Tricia Helfer) are a married couple struggling to save their marriage with a vacation on an island in the Bahamas. Looking for peace and quiet, they choose a location that is secluded enough to be away from any help when their vacation home is broken into. The small island is also home to an aging outlaw (Stephen Lang) and his wife (Claudia Church), but it is a group of visiting modern pirates that bring trouble. Although Creighton and Lydia are uncertain who they can trust, it is never much of a mystery for the audience.

        From the first time we see Max (Dominic Purcell) and Nina (Marie Avgeropoulos), it is clear that they are up to no good. By cluing us in to their motivations early on, the film removes any sense of mystery from the plot. It also makes the protagonist couple seem that much dafter for not being able to figure it out sooner. Removing any twists from the storyline may have worked better with a more exciting storyline, but it feels compulsory until the truth is finally discovered in time for a climactic struggle between the opposing couples. Too much of the film forces the audience to endure obvious lies while the oblivious protagonists make poor choices.

        For reasons unclear to me, Isolation is rated-R. Although I suppose there is some language that I am forgetting about, none of the violence in the film is any worse than the content from the TV shows that much of the cast is involved in. As should be no surprise with a DVD sold exclusively at Walmart, there are no special features available on the disc.

Entertainment Value: 3.5/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 4.5/10

Historical Significance:  1/10

Special Features: 0/10