The Mutation (2021)

We are constantly weighing risks with rewards, now more than ever. The decisions we make impact life as we know it. For example, would you prefer to take the highway instead? One route may lead closer to your destination, however, it will be choked with gridlocks. The opposite route is just as inching but will have traffic jams too.

These decisions can be as simple as choosing which road to take. There are more complex decisions like whether or not you should inject a mutant serum into a lab rat. On the one hand, you can possibly cure mutated diseases. On the other, you can end up vomiting an enormous suicidal rat on the unassuming world. It’s a never-ending cycle of reward versus risk.

This leads us to our next scenario director Scott Jeffrey’s brand new feature The Mutation and what it is all about.

The story starts off after a scientist has been choked to death. Now, a mutated rat is loose and none of the bartenders or waiters are safe. The rat must be stopped before it is too late. It’s up to an animal scientist along with the scientist’s wife to solve the mystery and catch the beast.

I decided to take a risk on this one. The gamble was sitting through a cinematic experience so painfully awful, that I truly wouldn’t have anything good to say at all. The benefit was going to be potentially getting the first seats to the next incredible Creature Feature bloodwork. At the end of the day, The Mutation didn’t fulfill either extreme.

The Mutation is not the worst flick I’ve ever come across. While I’ve watched my fair share of bad movies, this one for some reason remains set at low standards. In the skeleton of this horror movie, the attack sequences are meant to aid its limbs. Unfortunately, there are too few and too short to capture the audience’s attention. Moreover, the slashing of claws across the face and neck of the victims dips into boredom after the first few times. To keep things engaging, a movie needs to up the ante as far as carnage goes.

However, The Mutation was never able to move those attack sequences beyond their limits. This was unfortunate, as numerous chances were given. A little creativity is shown as the last battle comes into play. By then, however, it is a little too little and a little bit too late.

Another flaw of the creature’s character is his or her visibility. The face of the creature is very intricate, so it is above expectation to see it, but it is a poor decision by the filmmakers. Still, showing the creature through long shots, full sails, and bright scenery lights, greatly damages the film because it breaches one of the most basic rules of the monster film: Light the monster.

While the film may not offer moments of tension and proper scares, the viewer may still get invested in the world. The anticipation is further shifted downward when one finds out within the first few minutes that the ‘mutated creature’ is merely a man in a costume. Some thought into the lighting and camera angles, especially the editing of the attack sequences, would greatly increase the standard of the production’s overall value.

The other backbone of a monster movie is the performance of the actors, and I am pleased to say the performances are enjoyable. The key to a film like this is its characters delivering their lines earnestly. Winking at the camera and hamming it up into a mockery of performance is completely off-limits. The characters should be able to take whatever ridiculous situation they are put through with the utmost gravity. From that perspective, the cast does a great job. Just when I’m about to slip into a trance, someone will shove back my focus with astonishing lines like, “We’re not thinking that murder was committed by another human,” or “You brought a gun to our anniversary dinner?”

These moments are far too scarce, unfortunately, but when they’re here, it’s a spectacle. I wish there were more of them.

At the end of the day, that’s the crux of the issue with The Mutation. Everything that needs to be added for some incredible, gory monster mayhem is available. Between the plot, the creature, the effects, and the performances, everything that should be there is present. There isn’t enough of it, though.

In regards to the movie, it is as if timidness is the default because it has to do with a story about a crazily mutated animal. The Mutation appears to be slightly scared of taking logic to its extremes.

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