Blu-ray Review: “Dead Trigger” Made Me Feel Like A Zombie After Watching It

A mysterious virus has killed billions and turned many others into bloodthirsty zombies. Unable to stop the virus, the government develops a video game, “Dead Trigger,” that mirrors the terrifying events that curse the world.

You know, I like my job. Getting to watch movies for free as a film fanatic is honestly great. I get to watch some of my favorite movies days, weeks and even months in advance. Some days, however, being a movie critic isn’t easy and certain films tend to make my life more difficult. “Dead Trigger” is one of those movies.

The film tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world where a virus outbreak breeds a swarm of zombies. The government responds with creating a video game called “Dead Trigger” which is a simulation of this zombie outbreak and takes the best players from the game into real life and trains them to kill real zombies. I really want to say the concept has something going for itself but no, it doesn’t. The logic of bringing gamers (who historically are timid) into a dangerous world of real-life peril is not smart. Dolph Lundgren plays Captain Kyle and is simply only there for the paycheck and so is the rest of the ensemble cast who I don’t even want to bother mentioning. Going back to the story, it is flat out an eye-roller. There is no attempt to create a compelling narrative and all the story beats are lackluster.

The action itself is terribly directed and overly amateurish (which really sums up the whole film). Speaking of action, this movie is as low-budget as it gets and does not try to hide it. The effects are laughable and come off as people not even trying. Even the technical aspects are bad. Production Design is minimum, the score is forgettable and generic and the cinematography is as basic as it gets. The zombies look ridiculous and that should have been one of the easiest parts because the genre is so common.

So if it’s not clear, don’t bother with this one. Laughable performances, lackluster script, lazy directing and head-scratching technical elements. If you can get this for free and have a fun watch-night with it, all power be to you.

Available on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital), DVD, and Digital July 2nd