Scintilla (2014) User Reviews

Not bad but falls a little short of what it could be

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 27 June 2014]

A group of mercenaries are sent on a mission to get something important from an underground research facility in Eastern Europe.

Scintilla is a film that shares some common ground with last year's Frankenstein's Army. After all, it is about a group of soldiers infiltrating a grungy underground bunker and discovering strange experiments therein. But it lacks the sheer imagination of that film unfortunately. It has some interesting ideas though, but most of the best threads are never developed very much, such as the skeleton faced biker or the bubble headed underground defenders of the laboratory or even the man with the mutating arm. All of these ideas show great promise but not much is made of them. Not only that but when we do discover the nature of the Scintilla project it is a little underwhelming. So there are areas where this movie fell a little short and others where it didn't build on its own good ideas. Having said all that, it's not really a bad film either. 'Corridors underground' sci-fi/horror films are notorious for being awfully tedious, on account of the limited sets and action. Scintilla at least tries to make its limited set-up a little interesting and it never really gets boring. It doesn't really add up to anything particularly great but it's entertaining enough and does have some memorable moments, even if it ultimately doesn't make the most of its potential.

Finally, a movie that goes beyond zombies, car chases, and simplistic plots.

[alshwenbear1 · 6/10 · 21 February 2015]

Watching this film, brings back memories of movies like The Wild Geese (1978), Alien (1979), Scanners (1981), all of them building up slowly, and precise to get to the point of the story, diversifying without giving more than the necessary, leaving behind characters, to bring them up later, when absolutely necessary, twisting the plot to the convenience of the viewer.

And all of this to my satisfaction: to shut the mouth of a a dumb guy who posted on youtube "Leave movie making to America, please."

I just watched "The Hybrid" and even when it falls a little short on what it could be your expectations, its worth of your time, its in part, like those old 70's flicks, with the real craving for the popcorn, while you lean towards the screen for the next twist of the story, and as "The Terminator" (1984) became an "original" concept, I wouldn't discard "The Hybrid" for a sequel or a Hollywood remake, because it has the proper elements for it.

And is worth to mention of the detail, the producers managed in some of the scenes, I won't spoiled much for anyone, just be observant for heads on plastic bags and skull mask.

Definitively, I will recommend this to those who can make a difference between "Transformers" and a good, "Low budget" science fiction movie!

Really good movie, there's a lot to it.

[subxerogravity · 5/10 · 21 May 2015]

This movie appeal was the large amount of layers it has.

The movie poster makes you believe it's just about a group of mercenaries hired to take down a Russian Weapon experiment in gene splicing, but I got so much more.

This possibly had a lot to do with the Depth of some of the characters who story lines got to be played out though out the movie. You don't see that in horror movies (cause you really don't need it)

The movie goes from action to horror to Sci-Fi and a few more genres as the main plot unfolds.

This was so much more than what was expected and that made it something great to watch.

Ridiculously low IMDb score

[chao_dai · 5/10 · 28 August 2015]

This film is not anywhere nearly as bad as the IMDb score would suggest. I almost did not watch this film purely because the score was so bad. It has helped me to re-evaluate what I accept as a decent score on IMDb.

In the past, I used to avoid any films that scored less than 5.0 on IMDb. However, I have watched a few films under 5.0 (including The Hybrid) that are ridiculously under-rated.

No, The Hybrid is not have a spectacularly original plot, but the plot is engaging nonetheless and the acting is solid and effects are good.

In general, it is an entertaining film. There is no need to drop it to such a low rating, I have seen so much worse at a higher rating.

The ridiculously low rating of this film has made me distrustful of IMDb's user rating system. Although, to be fair, anything I've seen under a 4.5 has genuinely been awful.

My advice would be (if you're reading this) is to go check the numerous critic opinions before accepting user opinions, since, in my experience, they seem to be more objective (and true).

This is a good film with good acting, decent (if not entirely original) plot and believable effects.

I've given it a 10 purely because I believe other have under-rated it excessively. I feel I should try to bring the bar up. My real feelings are that it's a 6.

Not impressed

[angiedaylewis · 3/10 · 9 May 2015]

This was really poor on so many levels. I was dubious about this at around 15 minutes in, both the script and the acting was sub-par but I thought I'd persevere to see the alien hybrids in the cellar!

It wasn't worth the wait. An alien which can be disguised by a pair of dark glasses, does not a terrifying alien make.

Thought the alien birth might be worth seeing...to see the "purer" form of alien.... but it didn't happen. Maybe the budget didn't stretch to an alien baby!

And the final scene is just ridiculous....the only reason the protagonist would not kill the alien is to allow for a sequel! Made no sense at all.

I am struggling to think of a positive, but can't come up with anything. Shame, it was an interesting idea but badly executed.

Boredom, then annoyance, then nonsense. At least the badness is spread out and not all at once.

[fedor8 · 3 August 2020]

The first half-hour is just people sneaking up on other people. You enjoy that much sneaking up? I don't, it's boring.

The film doesn't wait long to annoy the viewer (after it had bored them): they give us a spoiler already in the opening scene. Nice going, muppets. So if you really have nothing better to do and must watch this average flick, make sure you at least skip the first few minutes.

Nor does it take the film very long to start revealing its nonsense:

1. A mercenary gets stabbed with an injection but keeps quiet about it - as if any half-way "seasoned" movie-goer can't figure out how that later unfolds i.e. he very predictably turns into a mutant then turns against his unit.

2. The hopeless biker "guard" fails to notice ANY of the 7-8 intruders scattered lying on the ground while she slowly examines the terrain. And yet, just a little later we are lead to believe she's smart enough to suspect that the computer guys are intruders? Yes, sure, whatever, Mr Writer-Man.

3. Sillier still, this dumb-yet-smart guard looks like a typical thick teenybopper who cant add 2 and 2 - but is cast as a merciless homicidal terrorist in some feral Chechen/Azerbaijani/whatever military outfit. Who the hell casts these films? Do casting agents all get lobotomies at film school? And then there's her goofy Russian-English, which makes her sound like a cold-war Bond film character.

4. They sneak up to a female Mengele, yet she doesn't react in fear or surprise but - once again - like a cliche Bond villain says "I've been expecting you" (literally those words). So dumb. She looks like a frigid-librarian version of Austin Powers and I do mean the way she dresses also. Mad scientists are so mad that they don't even experience fear? Do they believe they're immortal then?

5. It gets very dumb from there. The asexual librarian has been watching the semi-alien siblings for 5 years yet hadn't noticed how smart they are, how they were pretending to be dumb all along - despite having cameras installed.

6. If the aliens are so smart how come they allowed the scientist to hold them captive for so long? With their violent propensity and obvious technical skills why didn't they break out earlier?

7. Once the team survivors go back up, they stupidly ask: "what are they firing at?" Duh, the alien, kinda obvious. What kind of dummies ARE this movie's mercenaries?

8. Not as dumb though as the scene in which the female team leader survives a bomb blast and reaches the others as if she'd been merely scratched by a friendly cat.

9. The alien doesn't want to shoot the blond guy nor the chief mercenary. Why?

10. The chief doesn't shoot the alien. Why?

Incredibly flawed and problematic effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 3/10 · 27 October 2017]

Sent to a remote military facility, a team of mercenaries expecting an easy extraction operation instead find themselves the target of a deadly mission involving human/alien hybrids stalking them which compounds their escape attempts through the local militia.

This here was a highly flawed effort overall. One of it's few good qualities here is the creepiness of the mission and what they're trying to accomplish since the facility looks quite dingy and dirty. The general concept of the group sneaking into that place under those orders gives this a nice enough base to start with, and the fact that the place is quite creepy in how they work that out is a rather enjoyable enough aspect in this one. As well, the few action scenes here, from the shootouts in the bunker to the rather strong and frantic escape and the ensuing gunfights with the soldiers on the surface allow for some rather nice energetic sequences throughout here, and with that comes some nice gore along the way with the practical effects really providing some strong parts to this one. While these here work nicely, it does have a few major flaws. One of the main issues is the film's incredibly slow pacing that drags this one out and makes it feel quite bland. The opening of the film, with all their infiltration tactics and sneaking past security that manages to be quite bland overall, not really generating any kind of horror thrills at all and just concentrating on their endless exploration of the base which takes forever to utilize any kind of idea what's going on. That it shows this going through every step of the way as they slowly make their way down the various floors and into the different sections of the bunker in a step-by-step walk-through which is seemingly endless that merely serves to highlight how low the budget for this one really is. That factor also makes itself known in the utterly laughable alien hybrids that are at the center of this one, which is just normal humans with awful CGI for multiple orbiting eyeballs or decked out in hilarious giant bug-headed masks and S&M-styled leather outfits which are just laugh-inducing more than frightening. Since the rampage through the facility is supposed to hinge on them being in contact with these supposedly frightening beings, the ending of this one is ruined highly because of the laughably non-threatening main creatures lowering this highly. As well, the nonsensical motivations and questioning for everyone here during the revelation about what they're supposed to be there for doesn't make any sense at all since it does is provide useless reasoning for double-crosses during the time they're supposed to be battling the main alien so that tends to cause those scenes to be reduced in power overall. Coupled with a truly ridiculous finale that has an incredibly ridiculous finale twist to it, this one here really had a lot to dislike about it.

Rated R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

B movie budget but A movie story.

[verminhater · 7/10 · 28 February 2015]

This is one of those films that values telling a story above effects. These are all too few and far between these days.

The negative. With the notable exception of the hybrids eyes the rest of the effects are both pretty thin on the ground and pretty poor. This is of fairly low importance to be honest though. I watch a film for the story. The effects are just icing. Too few films provide any cake to put the icing on, believing the icing alone will carry the day. The Hybrid provides plenty of cake but the budget didn't allow for that bit of icing that'd have made it great.

The good. Crackingly told story which is more impressive as it takes quite some time before you actually know what the story is. The mercenaries are not supermen or Rambo. They are not even particularly good looking. They are very believable though. The Hybrids are weird with an utterly unfathomable perspective. The screenwriter and the director have put in a great deal of both effort and ability into this film and it's paid off. The sets are perfect for the atmosphere too. Like a previous reviewer I too found the mercenary leader's sandwich eating to be odd at first then a tension release valve. A great little insertion in the proceedings.

All in a good film with an unusual and well told story. I just wish they'd had that slightly bigger budget to buy some icing for that excellent cake they produced.

Waste of time - total garbage

[guglnalog123456 · 1/10 · 17 March 2015]

Some spoilers included, if it is possible to spoil this trash.

I thought this flick might be something at least decent, but after 30 minutes, I just jumped forward to the end.

Acting is bad even for B-movies. Camera is also bad. Script is non- existent, looks like somebody tried to mix Mad Max with current Washington politics. Driving a Toyota with machine gun is out of place for many reasons, and "brave" protagonist of the movie are using East German Wartburg (or it was Trabant).

Everything is out of place, including land mines, weapons, languages etc.

The idea is so stupid it does not deserve "Sci" in sci-fi. It could be placed in "St-fi" genre for it is stupid-fiction.

It is obvious somebody needed this kind of trash to depict pro-Russian militia as criminals and murderers. That is Washington part of the mix.

Total garbage, find something else.

Pleasantly surprised

[ventalcomoeres · 7/10 · 21 April 2015]

It starts like any B movie, and it can be a little boring at the beginning but continues excellently.

Nobody really knows what kind of experiments the Russians were running during the cold war, so the story feels almost real.

The general acting is very convincing. This is how real mercenaries may look like, and how they surely work.

The civil war/postwar scenes located somewhere near Russia, also contributes with the dark scenario needed to create tension.

You must know that this movie is not "The Expendables".

There were a few good surprises and it got me intrigued till the end.

It's a good job.

The Hybrid

[dukeakasmudge · 3/10 · 9 April 2017]

*** Spoilers Ahead, Most definitely*** The movie starts out interesting enough.I was really curious to see what the mercenaries were going to find when they made it into the bunker on their way to the underground laboratory.On the way down when they encountered the 1950's alien looking guards, I thought if the things outside of the laboratory look like this, I can't wait to see what the hybrids inside the laboratory look like.When I finally get to see the hybrids, the only thing I'm thinking is that's it? The alien on the movie poster looked better than the hybrids did.After that, the movie became boring.Things did pick up again but there was only 15 minutes left in the movie so...... Here's the spoiler, in the end, when the mercenary leader had a shot to kill the hybrid, he didn't take it & let him escape.I don't get it.It just didn't make any sense at all.I did kinda like the finale when the hybrid was walking in the city because it leaves the movie open to a sequel.Even though I really wasn't that into The Hybrid I'd be interested to see how the story continues if there is one.The Hybrid isn't a movie I'd go searching for but if you come across it & you can see it for free then why not?

Disturbingly Wonderful

[hissy23 · 9/10 · 26 March 2015]

I knew nothing of this movie, hadn't even heard of it before watching, therefore I had few expectation and to be honest didn't expect to last more than 10 - 15 mins. And I almost gave up during the first act - I'm not a fan of Dirty Dozen vs The Alien type action movies. But I'm so glad I kept watching. Superb.

Something about the setting, the atmosphere and the alien just got under my skin. I found it truly disturbing - in a good way if that's possible. It unnerved me in a way big budget mainstream sci-fi / horror movies usually fail to. In my opinion it is a Prometheus on a small budget - creepy and uncomfortable but beautiful in it's simplicity.

So glad I watched - this will stay with me for weeks ... those eyes!!!

Well Done All.

A very competent raid / \scifi movie

[thekarmicnomad · 7/10 · 25 October 2015]

I grabbed this off Netflix as a random, but was pleasantly surprised.

This is a film split into two halves. The first half is quite a tense and gritty war flick. A bunch of mercenaries have to infiltrate the stronghold of a eastern European warlord. The characters are quickly defined and interesting.

The second half of the film has a definite Scifi tilt. The objective of the mercenaries is a creepy underground laboratory where the guy from the DVD cover is lurking.

The action is hard hitting and the setting is atmospheric and interesting. The makers have stayed within the budget for the special effects and haven't been lured in by cheap, distracting cgi.

I can't quite decide how I feel about the ending, but that in itself is probably a good thing.

I found this to be an enjoyable, gritty romp. I wouldn't have paid to see this at the cinema but as a Netflix movie this is way above the average on offer.

Losing effort against human-alien hybrids.

[suite92 · 4/10 · 24 October 2016]

The Three Acts:

The initial tableaux: Mercenaries invade a compound in a former Soviet republic. At 36 minutes in, that was all that was accomplished. They have some advanced intel, so they know how to penetrate deep (as in below the surface) into the compound. It's a medical research facility of some sort.

Delineation of conflicts: Something 'down there' is waiting for them, and is not friendly. The mercenaries get stuck with hypodermics and gassed.

The reason for the effort was the desire on the part of the Soviets to catch up with UK-CH-US in terms of genetics. A vastly old meteorite found on Soviet territory contained some DNA of unknown origin. The scientific effort was to learn things about genetics using the DNA plus whatever was needed to fill in from the human genome. Hence the title, The Hybrid.

The orders for the mercenaries from their client is to get the research and destroy the facility. The hybrids have different ideas altogether.

Resolution: True motives and abilities show up, along with unexpected stupidity.

So bad even your mother hates it

[Eric_Cubed · 1/10 · 12 October 2015]

Think...Astro Zombies, only without any of the hideous B movie, campy charm. This movie is yet another example of how the producer, the director and anyone else who put money into the thing begged their parents and siblings to write a positive review about it, thus tricking us into believing it is some kind of avant-garde, grindfest miracle. I am actually speechless as I try to describe the vacuous banality of this awful...thing. I can't even call it a movie, as that would be giving it too much credit. I do not have any technical, academic or practical expertise in script writing, directing, casting etc., but must say, I am convinced, with about a few hundred grande, I could make a far superior movie, with no training, going on intuition alone. That's how bad this movie is. And you don't even have to be original to make it watchable. Just copy Alien, The Thing, The Bourne Identity and 24, and abracadabra, a watchable sci-fi horror is born, making way more money and notoriety than something so bogged down by utter incompetence. I'd rewatch Astro Zombies anyday.

my 5 year old would make better movie than this

[calexicoca · 1/10 · 29 June 2015]

So many times here on IMDb you will see good reviews for absolute garbage of a movie. Obviously people involved with the production were very active to provide good reviews because it benefits them only. I don't know what can be done to avoid this, but IMDb has to come up with some kind of safeguard, otherwise reviews and scoring will become totally irrelevant.

That is the case for this piece of s. When you read these reviews after watching the movie it just makes you laugh and be angry at the same time because of obvious manipulation. Don't waste your time on this turd!

Uhhhh

[jpminor-75293 · 1/10 · 2 December 2019]

6 minutes and 33 seconds into the movie and I found my hand reaching over to the end table to grab my .45 and blow my brains out and release me from this torture.

Don't bring a syringe to a gunfight

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 29 August 2017]

A group of 8 mercenaries break into an isolated secret Eastern Block facility on a mission to obtain/destroy a project deep inside a maze. The film is marketed as "Scintilla" and "The Hybrid." It isn't hard to figure out from the titles and DVD cover we are talking about some kind of human hybrid. Yes and PLOT SPOILER EXPLANATION OF FILM the DNA they cross humans with, is from a 2.4 billion year old meteor found in the Soviet permafrost. Forgetting the fact DNA breaks down, they cross it with human DNA and plan on getting an offspring from two hybrids that is more alien than human because....we can.

The characters were fine. I wish they had expanded them a bit more. Their entrance into the facility was good scene and started the feature off with promise. The maze wasn't too bad, but they could have made that better and the last third which was hurt by low budget.

Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

Confused story poorly told

[nhwardle · 2/10 · 4 July 2022]

Confused storytelling or bad editing. Not sure which, but there is so much wrong with this film. Nothing is really explained, nor is the viewer given much to go on. A waste of time. "Classic Stuff" crows the DVD cover, but it is not even bad in the classic manner of B movies, just very poor.

Yeah, very select audience here. /B/etter choices for the family!

[kalngublers · 3/10 · 13 May 2017]

&&& SPOILER!! &&& This movie is entertaining to a very specific audience type. This is a very revealing spoiler post because some movies just make you go-- really?? I will give you this opportunity to skip this review and go to the next one. I never reviewed a movie before this. This was on Netflix, so hoping it might be along the lines of "Stranger Things". It wasn't rated and I thought my kids age 11 could watch it. Noway! Definitely rated R. If not for the violence, the language is over the top. An "F" word on practically every scene. B movies add that to make up for other absent content. No action in the movie happens till literally the halfway point. That seems to be the attractive point for some people. You are just there with the crew- taking the trip- no fluff or pansies invited. I don't mind that so much. Still the "elite" part was minimal- basic equipment. And mostly they walked around looking through binoculars with guns always ready, until they get in the building, then they walk through hallways- forever! It was indeed "realistic" in the sense that nothing "sci-fi" or really "horror" related occurs unless you call shooting horror and sci-fi. The aliens like people have mentioned are not alien looking. Watch it if you liked "Blair Witch Hunt". In positive retrospect, the movie had something that draws you in, and you feel you are there with the characters- in a war-torn, post apocalyptic scenario. The squad members are likable, and the acting isn't so bad. Just select a different trip for the kids!

A More Plausible Alien Horror Story

[in1984 · 8/10 · 5 April 2015]

7.8 of 10. Not to be confused with the purely horrible Hybrid from 2007 or the at least enjoyable Super Hybrid of 2010, this is a quality film using reality-based horror built on sci-fi, war, and genetic experimentation.

While the misinformed, weak science sci-fi films still fantasize and fill in gaps of traveling massive distances through variations on frozen sleep, this eliminates the distance problem completely by avoiding space travel to or from the planet. Instead, it takes advantage of well known, everyday scientific events, modern conflicts around Russia, secret government operations, and genetic experimentation to build a surprisingly plausible story with a smooth, though a little too obvious, setup for a sequel.

Given early reviews, the non-stereotypical look of the alien probably is a little too much for status quo critics to handle. It doesn't feel or look under-budgeted. The only thing hard science fiction fans can criticize involves telepathy and telekinesis. Such, however, is often the ouch with alien sci-fi - writers going complete fantasy on alien abilities.

A Quality Horror Effort That Doesn't Make It

[tabuno · 5/10 · 14 January 2019]

23 May 2015. There are just too many logical flaws and incoherent and odd plot designs or omissions to really call this effort at quality horror film making great or even above average. The first two-thirds of the movie might qualify as an above average and decent effort at a thoughtful and riveting, well photographed and executed horror film with a few serious logical weaknesses that detract from the emotionally exciting flow of the movie. This presentation of an elite mercenary squad never really gels from the beginning as compared to Aliens (1986) or Predator (1987). Some of the elite squad members just don't perform like elite members. Two especially distracting scenes include leaving one man behind and another is a delayed reaction time that leads to deadly consequences.

What makes this movie rather unique, is the directorial efforts at set design, photography, and cinematography that creates an ominous mood and has the potential to set this horror movie apart from most others. Unfortunately the unraveling plot during the last third of the movie destroys much of the potential of this movie. Unlike the much more convincing Cuba Good Jr. vehicle, The Devil's Tomb (2009), the plot direction just doesn't seem to make much sense nor audience appeal. Most of the characters in The Hybrid are pretty wretched and there's not much to like in this one of the most un-elite squad on screen. This movie ends more like some unintentional mysterious mind-crazing gas had taken over the screen-writer.

Instead, for mystery action thrills there's The Numbers Station (2013) or for sci fi horror there's Splice (2009).

Largely incohernet sci fi thriller

[Wizard-8 · 3/10 · 26 May 2018]

I really didn't have a problem with the basic premise of this movie, even if it has been done to a degree many times before in other movies. What I did object to, however, was how poorly done this particular version was. For starters, the movie moves at a glacial pace. Now, I am not one of those yahoo moviegoers who demands every movie move at a rapid pace from beginning to end; I realize that you do have to take time in a movie to set up the situations and characters. But the movie's first half all the same is way too slow, taking about double the time that another movie would take. Eventually I was asking the movie to simply get on with it.

Actually, despite the slow pace of the first half of the movie, there are some parts of the story where the movie does NOT take its time. There are some very important plot points where desperately needed explanation is needed, but never happened. Whether the script was originally like this, or some important footage got left on the cutting room floor, I can't say for sure. All I can say is that the first half of the movie is extremely confusing.

The second half of the movie is somewhat of an improvement over the first half. The pacing picks up, there is some action, and there is some plot explanation. But is it worth slogging through the first half of the movie? I say no. The movie still fails to engage the viewer, and you'll be counting the minutes before the movie finally ends. I say skip the entire package.

Very entertaining sci-fi video

[dgillespey-187-664971 · 8/10 · 8 June 2015]

This had everything I want from a lower budget, idea driven video. I did not want to kill-off the main characters, which is not a given.

The concept was developed and delivered quite well. Primarily it was easy to watch, no irritating aspects.

Notwithstanding the fact it did not hit all the demographic pulling requirements nor the pop-culture mandates such as the ubiquitous LGBT genuflecting.

If you can live without the aforementioned and like the genre, give this a try. I am accustomed to low-end budget movies that show it, primarily in the lack of story. This is not one of those. It lacked some heart but it did pull you in, suspend your disbelief....escaped for a bit.

Superb British SF/Horror Hybrid

[alistairc_2000 · 10/10 · 6 August 2014]

I love these bunker corridor shooter type movies where you are searching for the enigmatic truth that turns out to be far more problematic and puzzling that you originally hoped for.

Billy O'Brien shows that he was not just a flash in the pan with his superbly creepy Isolation being an amazing starting point. Hybrid/Scintilla is the type of movie that should be showing at your local multiplex, reaping the rewards for the British film industry. Of course rather than seeing it on the big screen it is getting a DVD release and a Digital down load release. That is a real shame as this is a movie that deserves to be seen by a wider audience.

Also worth noting that the sound track contains a hybrid of Saxon (Biff Byford) and Balance of power. It is a great song (s) and this shows how forward thinking the film company were in trans-media. It is just such a shame that there is no game as well.

Overall a superb movie that deserves to be watched by all. Looked down my review list and see I like the good stuff.