IR Film Review: THE TANK [Well Go USA]

The aspect of remote horror combined with mythology can sometimes be played to good effect but only specifically if it has a reveal with a texture of exposition. With "The Tank" directed by Scott Walker, the basis of what transpires has the realm of creature feature but with a small amount of production design, animation or small narration, there would have been a much bigger world for it to inhabit. The story follows a couple Ben (Matt Whelan) and Jules (Luciane Buchanan -- recently of "The Night Agent" on Netflix) who along with their young daughter head up to the Oregon coast where Ben has been left his mom's old house which he never quite heard of. Like something akin to "X" and "Pearl", there is a bigger story to tell but the build doesn't quite move in that way. It is more based in Buchanan doing an almost sort of Ripley approach when she engages said creature. Her background as a scientist is a good play which explains somewhat of the reasoning of the tank which is what draws water off a spring in the rock for the property.

One scene with a backdrop of the coast explains a little bit of the Native American lore, the context of a tsunami and the overview of a curse. There is possibility but when the attacks begin happening, it simply becomes cat-and-mouse rather than unearthing what the mystery is. The work by Weta on some of the creature elements is quite good though most of it is done in darkness (which is understandable -- but sometimes makes it harder to understand what is going on). The flashbacks they way they are used in a way tend to take the viewer out of the proceedings even thougb the diary does provide context to the basis of the story. Granted this experience is taken over a weekend so the aspect of what is happening is based more in reaction. The tank is obviously a reference to the biggest set piece but beyond the primal (as say compared to a film like "The Seed" which really upped the ante but was significantly more R rated), "The Tank", despite its solid concept, doesn't use it to the best of its ability. C+

By Tim Wassberg