It's Christmas Eve, and Jodie (Linzey Cocker) has come home for the holiday only to find her estranged mother, Beth (Neve McIntosh), in the throws of passion with a stranger. After Jodie takes off to a friend's house across the street, Beth is left feeling shame and anguish with a man she hardly knows -- but soon her world is turned completely upside down when military personnel storm the neighborhood and hold people inside their homes at gunpoint. It's unclear if this is a terrorist attack or worse, but when bodies start piling up, Beth and the remaining survivors are faced with a monstrosity that seems to overwhelm any hope of survival. Will Beth make it outside to save her daughter? Will either live through this ordeal?

By all accounts, Salvage should have been a film I liked. There's a supernatural and creature element, and the drama centers around the invasion of a quiet, suburban neighborhood -- with the bulk of the action taking place while everyone is trapped inside their homes. Neve McIntosh's character makes some nonsensical decisions (Why is she screwing some guy when her daughter is on the way? Why is she wasting time in the house with someone she's just recently met, when she knows exactly where her daughter is?), but she's a pretty fearless female protagonist who delivers a strong performance. Unfortunately all these things don't really add up to much -- with the film's climax arriving too late -- and without enough narrative punch to make up for the other shortcomings. Most frustrating is the idea that we're supposed to believe that the military presence who is trapping the neighborhood inside their homes is made up of a handful of guys who seem to have no rhyme or reason for their tactic. But that's a theme that runs throughout Salvage -- we're ultimately left frustrated and confused by a string of actions that are never fully realized or explained. Couple this with a few unlikeable characters (I really wanted to strangle Beth's lay), and a low budget that doesn't aid the proceedings, and you've got one big let down.

The DVD has some interesting features, including a "behind the scenes" featurette, a few on-set cast & crew interviews, and director and friends commentary that goes into the nitty gritty. The film was shot in only four weeks, on the same set used for the British soap opera Brookside. Salvage is Lawrence Gough's feature film debut, and while there are snippets of promise in the movie -- they never come together in a completely satisfying way.

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The good people at Revolver Entertainment are hosting a competition to win a free copy of the film on the official website -- open to US residents until July 10. Check it out over here.