The Tank Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Scott Walker
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Luciane Buchanan, Matthew Whelan, Zara Nausbaum, Regina Hegemann
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (DTS 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ New Zealand
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Widescreen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 40 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ June 27, 2023

         Creature features are often such a straightforward sub-genre of horror that it largely dependent on the success of the creature design and execution. Even the best script is irrelevant if the monster is unbelievable or constructed with poor CGI effects. On the other hand, The Tank proves that having believable and effective practical effects and a unique creature doesn’t mean much if the story and the characters are blandly unengaging.

 

        Like the beginning of many horror films, the plot of The Tank begins when a man returns home to a run-down property. After a childhood dealing with his mother’s mental illness, Ben (Matt Whelan) returns to a long-forgotten seaside vacation home left to him by his recently deceased mother. Ben is hesitant to have anything to do with his inheritance because of the troubling childhood dealing with his mother’s struggles and the loss of his sister and father. In need of financial help, Ben and his wife Jules (Luciane Buchanan) travel to the property with their young daughter, looking to quickly sell it to the first buyer they find. Unfortunately, they soon discover why the property has been abandoned and what the secrets have to do with Ben’s mother.

 

        Beneath the seaside cabin is a water tank that unleashes an ancient reptile-like creature that has been dormant for years. After filling the tank with water, the large beasts emerge and begin hunting the family along with anyone else who comes near the coastal property. One issue the story has is limited opportunities for victims, which also keeps the death count relatively low for a horror movie. The creatures are well designed and executed, but this does not prevent them from being underutilized within the film’s plot.

 

        Even though The Tank is only 100 minutes long, it feels unnecessarily slow. It isn’t until the discovery of the creatures in the final act that things pick up, while a disappointing majority of the film merely leads to this conclusion without offering much enjoyment for the audience. The Tank may have good creatures, but the filmmaker somehow forgot that horror movies need to be fun to watch or have something to say. While there are some good elements, they never truly come together to make a good movie.

 

        The Blu-ray release of The Tank comes with a making-of featurette, as well as one about the creation of the creature effects in the movie. For those interested in the construction of small horror movies, these extras might actually provide more than the film itself. There is also a trailer for the movie.

Entertainment Value: 4/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 4/10

Historical Significance:  0/10

Special Features: 4/10