Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Pod’

Written by Scott Edwards

It is hard to find someone you can trust these days, but there are some people that you might consider family that you will go to with any problem. You never know what your friends or family will do with the information that you provide them, and they should at least listen to make sure that there is something to your stories. If they don’t even try to fathom what you are telling them, there may be a separation that is needed, since you should never have to prove yourself to a member of your family. Knowing what is wrong and what is right in your own mind, your loved ones are the ones that should have your back no matter what and if they don’t, you may need to start looking for replacements.

Ed is worried about his little brother Martin and wants to have an intervention with his sister there. But Lyla is not too happy about how Ed is going about getting support for his cause. Listening to the message that Martin had left on his machine, Ed fears that his post-traumatic stress has gotten the best of him and he may have to go back to the doctor for further evaluation. But when arriving at the lake house away from the world, Ed and Lyla see that Martin is far beyond gone, but when listening to his stories, he might actually be on to something.

Martin has wrapped his house up to keep any signals from entering or leaving the premises and knows that it is working since nobody has come to the home. When seeing his brother and sister, he fears for their safety and begs them to turn around and leave the house, but when they refuse, Martin opens up about what he knows. Being in the service, Martin claims that he was tested on while on the battlefield and now he has found one of the other test subjects in the woods. Bringing the pod into the house, Martin is sure that the basement will keep it secure and he will be able to protect the outside world from it. As Lyla is starting to believe what Martin is saying after seeing some evidence that might be pointing that way, Ed is on the other side of the fence and wants to prove to his brother once and for all, that his problems are all in his head.

Thinking that he is the cause of this, Martin takes his own life in front of his siblings. Without a phone to call for help, Ed and Lyla are stuck in the house with a decision to make about what to do next. Ed wants to prove that what is in the basement is not a pod like what his brother has been boasting about since they arrived. But when he gets down into the basement, Ed finds out that is brother was not wrong at all and the scratches he receives from the beast down there cause a powerful burning sensation on his flesh. With their car disabled, Lyla has to make a run for it to try and get some help for her brother. But when flagging down a stranger on the road, Lyla finds out firsthand, of the danger that her dead brother was talking about.

Wow, this movie really caught me off guard, but in a good way. I did not know what to expect after seeing Martin on the screen having his breakdowns, but he was far from the center of the story. Watching Ed trying to convince his sister that he is right about everything is something that I would expect to see behind closed doors when siblings disagree. I really liked how the movie was shot, there are shadows and light right where they need to be and when the lights go out in the house, I expected a lot more to happen, but how that played out, is what surprised me. You get little tastes of your fear and not the whole apple until the movie is willing to give it to you. Stay Scared.

---