Fernando Alle is a Portuguese filmmaker who started his career making short films in the late 2000s. His first three short films were 2007’s Lucky Prime, 2008’s O Rim, and 2009’s Papá Wrestling. In 2011, he directed the short film Banana Motherfucker, which won Best Short at the Buried Alive Film Festival. The short caught the attention of Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman, who released the short on DVD and on his streaming service. Kaufman was so impressed that he hired Alle for the special effects on Return to Nuke ‘Em High Volume 1. After working on Return to Return to Nuke ‘Em High Aka Vol. 2, Alle wanted to make a feature. With the support of Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, Fernando Alle directed his first full-length feature film. While the workprint premiered in 2018 at MOTELX in Lisbon, Mutant Blast had its US premiere in 2019.
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Synopsis
Undercover super soldier Maria (Maria Leite) helps free TS-347 (Joaquim Guerreiro), a genetically-modified superhuman created by the government. As they escape, a horde of zombies breaks out of the compound and swarm the surrounding area. Meanwhile, Pedro (Pedro Barão Dias) wakes up from a drunken birthday party to find his friends and family dead. He runs into Maria and accidentally gets TS-347 killed, which throws a wrench in her plans. Still, she continues after her contact informs her that a boat will be waiting for her the next day. Pedro tags along, and they encounter rapists, mutants, a giant lobster, and katana-wielding dolphin, and another super soldier. Elsewhere, some government officials launch several nukes to clean up the incident, which causes Pedro and Maria to mutate. As our heroes fight their way through zombies and mutants, they soon learn to come together as friends.
Review
Going into Mutant Blast, I had no idea what to expect, and I have to say that I was impressed. Given the low budget they most likely had to work with, the production values are remarkably well-made. While there are a few CGI blood spurts, the movie uses primarily practical effects that all look impressive. From the zombie make-up and puppets to the gore and mutant designs, there’s something for everyone. The action sequences are well choreographed, and the filmmakers shoot them in a way so you can see what’s happening. The movie makes excellent use of color as they use various filters to help accentuate the scenes. Also, the synth score by Antoni Maiovvi adds to the film’s style, which evokes elements of John Carpenter. It reminds me of a cross between early Sam Raimi/Peter Jackson and Astron-6 movies like Father’s Day.
As over-the-top as the movie is, what makes it work is that the actors treat the material seriously. Pedro Barão Dias and Maria Leite deliver their lines as if they were in a straight science-fiction movie. Granted, they crack a joke every now and then, but the humor never feels forced or overly self-aware. Everything here feels genuine, which is a refreshing change of pace from most modern B-movies that are purposely bad. Also, Maria Leite fits her role perfectly as a badass soldier who can more than take care of herself. Conversely, Pedro Barão Dias works as the lovable idiot sidekick who means well but fumbles about. While this movie won’t appeal to everyone, fans of low-budget B-movies will get a kick out of this. Overall, Mutant Blast is a fun, exciting, blood-soaked, ridiculous romp whose insanity is only matched by the filmmakers’ passion.
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