DEAD TRIGGER / CERT: 15 / DIRECTORS: MIKE CUFF, SCOTT WINDHAUSER / STARRING: DOLPH LUNDGREN, AUTUMN REESER/ RELEASE DATE:  OUT NOW

Based upon the popular video game of the same name Dead Trigger is an action-horror set in a world where a mysterious virus has wiped out large swathes of the human population and turned many of the survivors into ravenous zombies. An ‘elite’ group of soldiers are dispatched to recover a key scientist who may have made a discovery that could help in the fight against the virus.

So…we have another zombie film, and let’s just say from the start that this one is pretty terrible.

In order to combat the spread of the virus, and presumably after having exhausted every other available and realistic option, a video game is developed to source recruits with very specific skills. These recruits are then given to Dolph Lundgren’s scenery chewing captain for a little real-life training, then off to battle they go.

The main problem with Dead Trigger is that it’s just too dull. There are strong thematic similarities with Resident Evil (2002) – there is even a tyrant-like baddie – and pretty much any other zombie action film you can think of, but nothing here is gory, exciting or scary enough to be of interest. Set pieces are strangely awkward and static, character deaths when they come are side-lined with casual disregard and instantly forgettable, and the zombies themselves are more cosplay than credible. The whole film gives the impression of being hastily put together with little budget, care or commitment, and the confused narrative is chock full of inconsistencies.

With so many zombie films around filmmakers really need to find a new angle from which to present their story. We’ve had love stories, comedies and innumerable depressingly bleak versions of a dystopian future, but oftentimes with something original as to make the film or television show just a little bit different. There will always be similarities – there are too many films in the genre for there not to be – and referencing either the accepted classics or the little-known independents is no crime. But simply throwing the first things you can think into the script and running with it is inexcusable.

The only interesting aspect of Dead Trigger is Dolph Lundgren, even with some oddly dyed hair. He at least seems to understand what sort of film he’s making and his performance varies between convincingly heroic and wearily disinterested, as you suspect he feels that what he’s making isn’t what he signed up for.

The simple fact is there are many, many better zombie films out there than Dead Trigger. Uninteresting and unnecessary this is certainly one to avoid.