Underground   Starring: Sofia Pernas, Adrian R Mante and Jeff D'Agostino Signature Entertainment RRP: £12.99 Certificate: 18 Available 03 September 2012

A group of friends attend a music rave at an old warehouse on the site of an ex-military base. Among them are two or three soldiers who have served in Iraq, and their female dates. very soon they cross swords with some East European thugs who try to muscle-in on the profit side of the event. The soldiers hold their own in the physical confrontation, but are quickly outnumbered. Obliged to beat a strategic retreat, the group shut themselves behind a heavy door below the surface. However, when their attackers move away they find they are trapped. With limited light an issue it is necessary to move quickly to find another exit. They discover to their horror that they are in an ex-military research facility. The experiment has seemingly been abandoned but the subjects are still there. The army had been breeding ferocious carnivorous creatures for use in warfare, but they hadn’t bargained on their scheming high intelligence and speed. Even active force in Iraq hadn’t prepared the soldiers for this. It will be nigh-on impossible to make it out alive, but then they fall foul of the twisted scientist who created the creatures...

Although the creature effects are very well handled, I couldn’t help thinking I was watching a video game scenario rather than a feature film. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Underground was inspired by an X-Box or Playstation creation. Ultimately, it all boils down to an Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians plot, as all but three of the characters are present merely as canon fodder. The difference is there’s no real plot here, simply a race to the exit. If I’d had been in the cinema rather than the comfort of my own home, I’d have been tempted to do the same.

The only interesting character proves to be a stereotype, born to fight, and having to sometimes be told when to stand down. His heart is in the right place though, and he gets his central scene surrounded by the creatures and fighting to his death. There is even a trick stolen from An American Werewolf in London, where we witness a nightmare within a nightmare within reality.

This isn’t particularly a bad film; it’s just like so many others. Consequently, Underground is unlikely to raise its head over ground.

3

Ty Power