Exit Humanity and Ninkasi Total Domination IPA
I was told to stay away from this film at all costs. I was told it was nothing but an hour and a half of a guy screaming in the woods. But I also wanted to point out that the person that told me that also thinks that a great classic car is a 1973 Volkswagen Thing and that the newest Taking Back Sunday album is really good…..so I decided not to trust his terrible taste. I decided to throw down an inexpensive but potentially awesome beer. I’ve been converted into a Ninkasi believer! Their beers are just wonderful. I love the imperial IPA and the Oatmeal Stout. I love Eugene, OR and everything it stands for. So without further ado….
Exit Humanity is truly a wonderful film. It has a similar feel to Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies but much more serious. It’s a dramatic approach to a zombie genre riddled with cheap laughs and lack luster performances. This movie is a standout in a genre where bad acting and special effects reincarnate into movie after terrible movie. This one is different. The movie follows Edward Young (Mark Gibson) on his journey back from the civil war. Towards the end of the war the world is gripped by a zombie plague which goes largely unexplained. Edward Young returns to his farmhouse to find his wife a zombie and his son missing. He kills his wife and battles insanity as he struggles to find his son. He eventually locates his son only to find he was too late and he’s already become one of them. The film then takes a dramatic change where Edward Young searches for reason in a world gone mad while dealing with his tremendous grief.
I quietly opened the beer as to not miss a line of dialog. This movie isn’t a fast paced action pact thriller. It’s a dramatic story of loss and redemption that just happens to have zombies. I respect that. But I know I’ll probably respect it even more with a beer in my hand. That’s where Ninkasi comes in. Total Domination is a pretty confident name. Must be the best……right? I pour the beer and it’s a beautiful hazy orange/tan/copper color. I don’t mind the cloudy. It might mean extra character! Sometimes that’s yeast sediment, sometimes there’s even bits of hops there. I think it’s really interesting to do a clean half pour….taste the beer. Then swirl the rest of the bottle in and taste again with the yeast. If you liked the first taste better then you learned your lesson for next time. This beer has a very thick massive off white head. I love it. Carbonation shoots up the sides of the glass to join their bubble friends. It dissipates a little more quickly than expected but left a nice lacing on the glass. It’s got all the character I expect from a big pacific northwest IPA. It’s very citrusy with pineapple and tangerine all over it. The first taste is quite good. It’s not overpowering but it’s nice. It’s sticky hoppy with a slick medium carbonated mouthfeel. It tastes very citrusy but with a bit of pine and a floral hoppiness that really comes through. But it also has a strong yeastiness that makes the beer almost chewey. There’s also a biscuit like maltiness that manages to escape from underneath the pile of hops. It’s good but not amazing. It’s a bit one dimensional. And if my IPA is going to be one dimensional I expect it to find that direction and mash the pedal to the floor! This one doesn’t do that. It’s really good and I’ll but it again but it pales in comparison to Founders Cascade IPA or the other strong examples of the style. I’m still a Ninkasi fan though!
We rejoin Edward Young as he crosses the countryside with his son’s ashes. He fights both zombies and insanity until he runs into trouble in the form of an enemy general and his doctor who have their own plans for the undead problem. Here a very familiar paradox is presented. What is the value of a life? If they evil scientist performs ghoulish experiments on hundreds of people only to find the zombie cure and save the lives of millions….is he still evil? He was trying to save live….the greater good. Or is one innocent woman’s life worth more than the lives of all those affected. I think it’s interesting because this same idea could be shot in the same movie from two points of views and both times you would have a different villain and a different hero. It’s all about perspective. Bill Mosley (of Dead Air and The Devil’s Rejects) and Steven McHattie (of Pontypool, the movie that Dead Air ripped off) both give fabulous performances. The movie has very convincing makeup at times and the editing does a great deal for making the zombies realistic and scary.
If you’re a real zombie movie fan then you need to watch this movie. It’s a fresh idea where there are so few no a days. The acting is far superior to many box office busters yet this film lives in the bowls of horror movie hell. The movie was great and to Chris….you have the worst taste!
The Beer:
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