ReelBob: ‘Escape to the Cove’ ★★½

A micro-budget limits the scope of this too talkative zombie-apocalypse feature.

“Escape to the Cove” is a low-budget, post-apocalyptic, zombie-plague feature that, even at 96 minutes, seems to drag.

The movie’s main problem is that there is too much talk — a lot which is repetitious — and not enough action.

Even the use of the plague-infected zombies is kept to a minimum.

This is a move on which the few pennies the filmmakers were able to raise were spent judiciously.

Sets are kept to a minimum and the zombie makeup also is more laughable than frightening.

The world in which this film is set is a cliché — one in which a virus has killed or mutated millions of people. The origins of the virus are never really explained, but it’s hinted that environmental mismanagement and pollution are the main culprits.

The main characters are Cairo (Garrett Braghash), a young, uninfected survivor, aimlessly wandering the landscape. His only plan is to survive as best he can.

Cairo runs into Ben Solomon (Robert Enriquez, who also wrote and directed the film), a former mercenary who lives on a yacht moored in a marina.

Solomon, a bitter man, kills as many of the infected as he can, while staving off a group of pirates led by sociopathic Luther (Mike Markoff), who has a history with Solomon.

Despite “Escape to the Cove’s” financial limitations, Enriquez does yeoman’s work in creating the feel of a world gone to hell. Unlike, say, “World War Z” or other zombie apocalypse movies, no hordes of infected are shown.

The movie focuses on Cairo and Solomon’s little slice of real estate.

Nothing much really happens except a lot of talk. Solomon rues his past life, and how, because he was forced to kill his infected wife, his daughter — who has escaped to the Cove — hates him.

And exactly what is the Cove. Well, it’s a place where healthy, young people have gathered to rebuild mankind and the planet.

The acting by all concerned is bland — with a few exceptions. Markoff’s Luther is, of course, an over-the-top looney who acts as if he drifted in from some crazy redneck exploitation horror feature.

Making what amounts to a cameo appearance, Eric Roberts — as Luthor’s greed-driven, immoral father — adds some spark to the proceedings before his quick demise.

Enriquez should be lauded for doing as much as he does with so little. He makes “Escape to the Cove” fun and watchable, though not memorable.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

ESCAPE TO THE COVE
2½ stars out of 4
Not rated, violence, language