Writer/director Steve Barker returns with sequel ‘Outpost: Black Sun’ the follow-up to his 2008 British horror tale ‘Outpost’. With an increased budget, larger cast and overall broadening of the Nazi-based back story what could we expect? The story itself widens our vision from everything that we had learnt from the first ‘Outpost’ in a manner similar to what that of ‘[REC]’ follow-up ‘[REC] 2’ achieved. Bringing us an array of new tidbits and missing pieces of the puzzle and unravelling certain aspects and historical significance to this zombie-esque neo-Nazi mayhem.
An investigator and researcher attempt to hunt down the source of the long dormant German technology that creates an immortal army of Nazis looking to rise again in the form of the fourth Reich. Travelling across Eastern Europe they soon discover clues that lead them closer and closer as well as bumping into the odd undead Nazi bastard with an unrelenting thirst for causing pain and death.
The sequel features a return from the wonderfully sinister and equally mysterious undead Nazi leader Johnny Meres and in addition a welcome cameo appearance from British actor Michael Byrne (‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’) who just seems fated to play Nazis for his entire acting career. The performances are pretty decent all round with performances from our main leads the delightful Catherine Steadman (‘The Tudors’) and ex-‘Coupling’ star Richard Coyle, whose American accent was sadly a little hard to swallow.
As interesting and contained as the first movie was it is good to see a small budget British horror get backing and support to grow itself and develop its roots further. However, with the original installments lack of locations and performers we’re drawn in into a more claustrophobic styled thriller where we can also get a real sense of comradery with this rag tag bunch of characters which unfortunately ‘Outpost Black Sun’ lacks somewhat.
OVERALL SUMMARY
The ending, something you would expect to tee us up for the what will be the concluding chapter in the franchise ‘Outpost: Rise of the Spetsnaz’, doesn’t appear that its going to have much bearing in the storyline for the third chapter. So just what else has this franchise got to offer?
OUTPOST II: BLACK SUN is available to own on DVD & Blu-ray from 27th August 2012 here in the UK.
