MovieChat Forums > The Life Zone (2011) Discussion > How in the hell does this have 3 stars o...

How in the hell does this have 3 stars on Netflix?


I started watching this movie on Netflix without looking it up online because I enjoy horror movies and it had 3 stars on Netflix streaming.

It is neither a horror movie, nor is it deserving of 3 stars

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Ugh, stalker... I prefer to think of myself as doggedly persistent.

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Someone mentioned on another board that the ratings we see on Netflix are how Netflix rates the film according to our individual tastes. This makes a lot more sense.

Despite what this film tried to do, what it became was a truly frightening experience. I was horrified throughout the whole thing.

I'm not big on horror, but I AM a fan of religion-based horror and this one fit the bill. I found it absolutely terrifying that people were kidnapped under anesthesia, forced into this underground "hospital", held for months on end against their will all while being forced to surrender their bodies to strangers. And to top it all off, being forced day in and day out to be inundated with propaganda that pretty much tells you that you have no right to your body and that you need to surrender it in order to fulfill this grand plan of an imaginary creature who WANTS you to be the physical host of another creature- to be an incubator in order for this invisible being to populate the Earth.

In another context, this would be a ripe horror film. The only thing that sets it up to be a failure is that it is obviously right-wing propaganda disguised as fair and balanced consideration.

But if you ignore the intent of the producers and look at it strictly as a horror film, it should send chills up your spine and keep you awake at night.




I'm still disturbed by it.


My #3 key is broken so I'm putting one here so I can cut & paste with it.

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I think your explanation of this film's atmosphere is pretty good, but do you really think that on balance this is pro-life propaganda? This is a movie about the devil finding ways to torment people after they die.

So, regarding Staci, her hell is being forced to have a child by a crazed pro-lifer. Again, the message is that HELL is a crazed, kidnapping pro-lifer who forces women to carry children they don't want.

Regarding the doctor, her hell involves her being so desperate that she resorts to kidnapping and so on.

Does any of this sound right-wing? Quite the opposite. I think this film is meant to appeal to young people who will be on Staci's side and think the whole setup is ridiculous (until we see the ending and realize the whole scenario is in hell).

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"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"--Pres. Merkin Muffley

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I actually didn't find it that bad. If I could, I'd give it 2.5 stars (or basically 5 on IMDb or slightly less). No horror whatsoever, but I still found it slightly intriguing. Hmmm... Well, ok, maybe it's a 4 on IMDb and a 2/5 on Netflix. Based on the cover, I was hoping they were going to give birth to demons so it was quite the disappointment.

The extremely right-wing/pro-life propaganda didn't bother me that much and even though I'm pro-choice, the topic is quite the nut to crack as abortion isn't equal to murder, and a woman's choice over her body isn't as straight-forward when you're 2-3 months pregnant.

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Well, as of late September of 2014, the Netflix rating is down to 2.9. But Netflix has an older demographic which tends to be much more conservative. Most of the Christian Fundamentalist movies on Netflix automatically get at least a 4 star rating (up there with The Godfather), though the ratings here are much lower. You can tell Netflix's demographic is to the right, because the reviews constantly complain about gay characters in movies, even if the movie is R-Rated. I doubt they've even seen many of the movies they review.

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