80
Nevertheless Cargo is a very strong, at times stirring achievement: a zombie film with soul and pathos.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
63
RogerEbert.com by Brian Tallerico
Perhaps the highest compliment I can pay it is that I think George A. Romero himself would have liked it.
75
Entertainment Weekly by Clark Collis
The Australian setting brings a fresh, and epic, quality to this now done-to-death genre, and the directors introduce a few nice new kinks to the zombie mythology, notably a desire on the part of the undead to literally — and hauntingly — bury their heads in the sand. But the real treat is Freeman.
50
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
The sluggish pacing and digressionary plot elements make the proceedings feel as slow as the gait employed by the film's undead supporting characters.
91
From Romero’s original zombie series to the films it inspired, this type of horror succeeds when it laces its scares with biting social commentary, and “Cargo” utilizes this formula to great success.
50
Cargo makes the mistake of benching its menace, banishing the undead to blurred shots on the horizon, while doggedly pursuing its theme.
70
Radiating not only paternal devotion but also a blunt matter-of-factness that amplifies as his situation becomes more dire, Freeman’s empathetic turn makes Andy an endearing center of attention, and the film — even for those who’ve seen its source material — a heartfelt entry in the overstuffed genre.
70
Los Angeles Times by Noel Murray
Co-directors Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke (the latter of whom wrote the screenplay) sacrifice some tension with their more character-based approach, but the cumulative effect is emotionally powerful.
80
Screen International by Sarah Ward
If human resilience remains paramount in zombie films, Cargo goes a step further; here, recognising and redressing the divisive mistakes of the past is more important than merely surviving.
74
Given how many zombie stories are basically elaborate wish-fulfillment video games, about blowing away targets, hoarding supplies, and finding a safe spot, Cargo’s quiet acknowledgement that suicide might be a kind option for the infected feels revelatory and even dangerous.