Director Neil Marshall delivered one of the better horror films of the mid-00s: The Descent. He's also been the mind behind Doomsday and Dog Soldiers--two more action films with a lot of suspense. He already has a few classics in his arsenal; however, his latest film, The Lair, won't live up to his legacy. It's middling at best and at its worst, it's just a Resident Evil movie without all those pesky zombies.
The Lair follows Lt. Sinclair (Charlotte Kirk) of the Royal Air Force as she's shot down over an area of Afghanistan where she meets up with a squad of American military. From there, the group discovers an underground bunker created by the Russians that has some exceptionally tough monsters living in it.
Right away, the movie sets up what's going to happen. We're witnessing the events of an area in Afghanistan that will be destroyed by the end, so the final moments of the story are no surprise whatsoever. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as the real question on everyone's mind is, "Who is going to survive this madness?"
The ensemble features a cavalcade of badass military types--and a prisoner--ready to one-liner their way through the plot. They're interchangeable and, outside of Sinclair and Finch (Jamie Bamber), pretty forgettable. Kirk plays the lead role well, of a person thrust into bizarre, horrific circumstances. And they all work as a team fine, and the dynamic is exceptionally reminiscent of Aliens. However, as far as the cast goes, there is one stand out in the movie, and it's not a good thing.
Bamber plays Finch, who is best known for his iconic role as Apollo on Battlestar Galactica. Here, however, Bamber stumbles over an accent that only exists in movies--primarily ones featuring southern military officers--and can only be described as an accidental parody of Matthew McConaughey. Bamber's key look is an eye patch, so you know he's secretly one of the antagonists because that's how characters with accents like this work. "You picked the wrong foxhole to f*** with" is one of his big lines. The issue is that the character falls exceptionally flat and becomes a parody. Once the shit hits the fan, virtually every line he says is a "cool" one-liner, primed and ready for someone to put it in the quotes section of IMDB.
It's about at the point of meeting Finch that The Lair truly starts feeling like Marshall's earlier movie, Doomsday, as far as tone goes. It takes a while to get a full scope at what type of movie this is. It's not horror--although it certainly feels like it's going down that road. But eventually it becomes apparent that it's an action movie. There are some crazy monsters here, and of course, they need to be shot at and exploded. Additionally, they're going to dismember every human they can. Again, this feels very much like Doomsday. But the story itself isn't as captivating. It does feel very Resident Evil at times, but it doesn't have the same charm as that franchise.
Let's talk about monsters because that's why we're all here. Who doesn't love a good movie about monsters that come from the underground? There's The Descent, As Above So Below, The Cave, and so on and so on. The monsters in The Lair have darkened faces, no eyes--just eye sockets--and a big mouth filled with teeth. As the film moves forward and you have a better understanding of the anatomy--like the weird tentacles that shoot out of their face--and they look pretty great, but only in the dark.
Lots of The Lair takes place in the day, and who doesn't love a monster movie during the sunlight? However, these monsters don't work during the day time. They completely lose their fierceness. Sure, they can still smash a skull with ease, but they look a bit silly, the threat dissipates a lot during the daytime sequences.
The story itself has a ton of potential, and it doesn't live up to it. There's this Russian lab to explore and the monsters coming out of it--but the "twist" in the third act never really feels like a twist, just a natural conclusion anyone in the audience could have made on their own. From there, it's rushed. You're left wanting more but only because there's so many unanswered questions and the answers you do get are unsatisfying.
The Lair isn't the horror-action movie you're looking for this Halloween, but could be at least a little worthwhile if you're looking for something to toss on during a weekend with nothing else going on. The action sequences are fun, and the overall story is intriguing, but the execution of it all is lacking. Overall, this is one you don't need to see and will be fine skipping out on.
The Lair arrives on digital and on demand on October 28, 2022, and it will hit Shudder in early 2023.
