The Lair  ★★★

I’M NOT sure what’s going on with Neill Marshall.

The British director was lauded in the early 2000s for two great horror films, Dog Soldiers and The Descent.

But he only made two more features before moving into television for a decade.

The move was successful, directing episodes of some great series including Game of Thrones.

A return to movies with Hellboy in 2019 wasn’t so well received and since then he seems to be struggling to get the right match of material and budget.

His latest is another example. The Lair is an enjoyable action horror entry that is hampered by an average script, some poor effects and below par acting.

Let’s start with the script. There’s enough in there already with a secret underground facility housing a creature experiment that results in a full-blown attack on a marine compound.

But we also crowbar in even more over-the-top stuff related to the “real” reason behind the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.

The action is very well staged, as you would expect from Marshall, and there are a couple of terrifically gory moments.

But the acting really takes you out of what is going on. Charlotte Kirk is physically fine in the lead role but her delivery is terrible at times.

Some of the accents are shocking, but the worst offender is Jamie Bamber as the commanding officer.

All that being said, I did enjoy the film as a kind of throwback sci-fi action thriller.

If only the script had been worked a little longer and better actors hired, this may have been Marshall’s entry to the big time.

Watched on Shudder