User reviews

This is one of those movies where some added bucks would have made a big difference.

The concept is sound. A guy goes to Tasmania (of all places!) to find his brother. The only problem being that Tasmania has become overrun with ghosts. Crazy, I know! The problem with How to Save Us is that it needed more. Thanks to the story, we know why nobody else is around, but still, it would have been nice if there were a few more cast members. For an hour and twenty minutes, we watch as this guy searches for his brother. The focus jumps between the two, but that's basically it for characters. Also, although I found the locations and sets functional, they never really stood out as anything special.

Despite all this though, How to Save Us breaks out of its limitations and still delivers a creepy, unsettling story.

This movie has its a special theme that no character talks each other face to face till the end, all conversation going in either background or recorded on radio. Story about a man who finds his brother at quarantine island of Marina, where unknown ghost are wandering. You only can save yourself from them by drawing a line of ashes. Will he back with his brother ? Find answer after watching this movie. Quarantine feels current lock down situation due to Covid- 19 pandemic.

What's with the high scores/user reviews this movie is getting on IMDb? Are they from members of the movie's cast and crew or something? Make no mistake, "How to Save Us" is a tedious, overlong movie that moves so slowly it's almost unwatchable.

About 90% of it consists of two men in camping gear that walk.

Walk. A. Lot.

Lot's and lot's of walking. Quite often however, "How to Save Us" shakes things up by having the constant walking become... slow, cautious walking. To drag out this finger drumming-fest of a movie even further. I understand "cautious" scenes are meant build up tension, but there's got to be some kind of point or payoff, guys. The white, swirly CGI effect you've put in with iMovie or Windows Movie Maker that *sometimes* shows up doesn't exactly fit the bill.

Very disappointing, especially given these high IMDb scores. I guess no system (especially an Internet scoring system) is ever perfect.

Avoid.

When a really short film drags by, something is definitely wrong. Here we had an original premise and a clever solution to the super micro-budget dilemma: Tasmania evacuated (but not destroyed) and, apparently, overrun by ghosts who you can only occasionally see. One man goes looking for his brother and we cut back and forth between the two of them wandering the empty countryside. I saw where another critic once said "A premise is not a story", and I'll modify that a bit here to say "A premise is not a screenplay". In this case the writer/director, Jason Trost, did have a story he wanted to tell but he simply had know idea how to go about it.

So we have a film which has attractive shots of a lone individual walking, or sitting, but that's literally almost all they do. There's a few potentially chilling scenes that are not chilling, with a small number of minimalist, but effective special effects. Yet the premise is never intelligently developed or believably presented. And to make matters worse, the intrepid writer/director casts himself as one of the leads (with the most lines, but since he's kinda talking to a radio it doesn't really count as dialogue) but the poor chap has less screen presence than a potato and seems about as invested in his performance as an exhausted man waiting for a bus. And by the end we are left to wonder if the whole thing was just a metaphor, because if it's supposed to be happening in reality it missed the mark even further. In the end, a nice looking film, and a promising concept, poorly served and tediously delivered. I don't hate myself for having watched it but I don't hate myself for looking at a bowl of soggy cereal either; yet if you're expecting something tasty, both will prove seriously disappointing, and possibly leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Seeing 6.3 rating of this movie, I just couldn't resist wasting 2min. for typing this review and about 15min of fast forwarding this masterpiece. The movie is about 2 dudes that do a lot of walking. Sometimes they seat. On occasion they fish and build camp fires. Very often they listen to really crappy music on a small mono transistor radio. Aha, almost forgot... From time to time there is a lot of wind and a very blurry figure shows up in the background. Presumably a ghost or an alien. On a plus side, the producers bought themselves a tripod. Most of the shots are steady. OK. I said it. That's it. Good luck not putting a bear bottle though your plasma... I would love to thank the other reviewers in person.

Awful. Easily one of the worst movies I've ever seen. One star for the beautiful eerie landscapes, otherwise there is simply nothing else to comment on. Don't waste your time. I am well versed in the intellectual movie genre, but this is not it. It's two hours of time vacuumed into oblivion. Now I am supposed to add a few more lines for the review to be long enough, but believe me, there is nothing to add here. There are movies that are not worth one star out of ten, and there is no point to beat around the bush or gorge on the negatives. If you are stubborn like me, you would perhaps spend 80 minutes or so waiting to see if it is a slow-unfolding gem with a plot twist. Let me save your time: it is not.

This is by no means a bad Bmovie.

It's very good for what it is, a low budget mystery.

What's with the hating on this film? If you need a reference, it's more Lost than a Walking dead action flick and it relies mostly on little dialogue, scenic shots and suspense which is good because the casts acting talents are a little cringe worthy.

I was oddly drawn in by the story line and the original concept. If you are looking for a high paced scream fest, than this is not for you. If a enticing original story is this is absolutely a very original concept and I can see someone picking this up in the future with a blockbuster high budget, Fassbender featured, remake. Mark my words, I could be very right.

This movie is very simple; a man goes after his younger brother who is lost in a territory that has been mysteriously quarantined in an area that is desolate. Everything has been abandoned saved for a creature that has been killing humans and leaving their bodies to rot. Brian, our hero is tracking his brother Sam, who has been leaving clues as to whereabouts. These creatures in the area are going after Sam, who has been studying them, tracking them and learning their weaknesses. They are unable to detect you if you are around dead bodies or if you are covered with the remains of the dead (ashes). They are attracted to electricity and they can be seen with infrared. All these creatures nuances have been meticulously detailed in a book and left for Brian by Sam. The story progresses in delightful twists and turns, encapsulating the audience with the frantic chase between hunter and prey.

As for the movie visuals, it was shot against the beautiful backdrop of Austrailia, with familiar landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House. The visuals capture the beautiful layout of the continent and simple shots add so much more to the story and the feeling of emptiness that amplify the story that there are only two beings on the entire continent.

This character driven piece keeps you involved at all times. When you think that the scene will drag, something comes out of the dark and pulls you through an emotional roller coaster for a few seconds, then you are back again. This particular filmmaker is no stranger to making pieces on a low budget with superior casting and storyline and this specific film is no exception to his track record. How To Save Us is a great independent piece and should not be missed!

The ad campaign for "It Follows" sold us on the fact that it was the so-called best indie film of 2015. I hate to rain on the campaign of the billion dollar Weinstein Company, but you have not seen How to Save Us. Shot for less than 20k, the new film by Jason Trost is something to really brag about. The premise may sound like a done to death very formulaic disaster film but the results is anything but. You have a brother named Brian who is traveling thru a plagued wasteland to find his brother Sam. How to Save Us takes that plot and gives us a twist that goes into both the supernatural and emotional. Brian seems to be one of the very few people left after this mass annihilation by plague. He knows his brother Sam is somewhere in Tasmania which is now being taken over by some kind of ghosts. Now before you start thinking hokey sheets or some done to death Poltergeist, these ghosts are a little bit different than what you would expect which leads to the horror element of the film. We learn early in the film that you have to hide from them like put human ashes on you so the spirits cannot find you or smell you. The spirits have this ability to change them that really adds to the creepy factor.

The most effective is when they take over the radio and warn Brian constantly about Tasmania, or try to manipulate him by giving him voices of his family. The last twenty minutes of this film throws us a huge curve ball that shows a very emotional finale that people will really get freaked out by and also feel for our main character and know why it was so important for him to take this journey to find Sam. Trost showcased his love of trying to change the formula of the normal with All Superheroes Must Die which to me was a very fun film and very underrated. How To Save Us is an early favorite for Film of the Year not only because it changed the normal but also for the simple fact from script to characters to how this film plays out, it is just simply brilliant. In the summer of all the giants, this small indie film is simply one of the best films you will see this summer. I will also say, this is an early contender for film of the year. What a brave statement, Jason Trost has arrived. I am simply blown away and I feel all of you who read this will be as well. Seek this film out immediately. How to Save Us is going to rock your world.

I really enjoyed this movie. Good concept, good cinematography. Didn't end the way I would have expected.