I recently watched two movies both with a similar theme so I thought to review them here together. Both films concern the end of the world and probably anyone interested in one might want to see the other.
The first is
The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington. Washington stars as the title character traveling through a sun baked apocalyptic wasteland, fighting starvation, thirst and roaming highway gangs so that he can deliver "The Book" to "where it is needed". Gary Oldman also stars as a charismatic leader intent on taking the book from him so that he can use it to control the last remnants of society.
The second film reviewed is
The Road starring Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee and is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Cormac McCarthy. The story concerns a father and son and their efforts to stay alive in a world dying around them.
WARNING - SPOILERS AHEADOf the two The Book of Eli would definitely be more palatable to the average moviegoer. While not really an action movie there is enough of it to keep the film moving and from becoming boring. Big name stars, memorable scenes and dialog, a (somewhat) hopeful ending, this is the more "Hollywood" of the two productions and most viewers, whether a fan of this genre or not, would find it enjoyable enough.
And then there is The Road; despite both films having a similar subject matter they couldn't be further apart. The world of The Road is an ashen gray wasteland and at times in the movie you might actually wonder if it was filmed in black and white. But the pallid colors of the film are only a backdrop for its bleak narrative. In The Road nearly every living thing is gone, all but a few human survivors. Forests and crops have been devastated, never to return, animal life has been wiped out, the Sun is forever hidden, depriving the world of warmth and light. Through an unexplained catastrophe the world we know is long gone. Ten years have passed and all that remain are the slowly starving survivors, all knowing that the world is dying and eventually they will to, their only options scavenging, cannibalism or suicide. The father and son with the goal to "head south" wander this wasteland trying to avoid contact with "bad guys" and to just live one more day. The father desperately trying to protect his son and at the same time trying to prepare him for the inevitable time that he won't be there to care for him.
Despite minor issues I had with some story details, in order that it could have its "surprise" ending, I did enjoy The Book of Eli and would recommend it. Any fan of science fiction in general will like it and would expect many viewers that don't normally watch this type of film would still find it entertaining.
After watching The Road though I still can't say if I would recommend it or not. I can't honestly even say if I liked it or not. I can say that it is a disturbing and emotionally powerful film; the ideas and imagery will linger in your mind long after seeing it. The abject horror of it all will remain with you. There are several unsettling moments throughout the film, one that immediately comes to mind is a scene where the father has to quickly decide between killing the son he loves or let him be taken by cannibals. That scene and others aren't easily forgotten. The movie is slowly paced and as mentioned the depressing tone can weigh heavy on you. The film doesn't really have a story and that is the point of The Road, there is none, the "story" is the relationship between Father and Son. Both Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee are excellent actors and are up to the difficult task, they bring the horror, tragedy and yes at times even inspiring moments in this film and bring them to life. The story of the father, who nearly loses his humanity while trying to assure his and his son's survival, and the son who represents the best of humanity and those traits that deserve to
survive. If you should decide to watch The Road I can't say that you will enjoy it, but I doubt you ever forget it.
Time for another installment of apocalypse cinema, and it's a good one too. 
It's been over twenty five years since I watched Testament (1983) so when I picked it up recently on DVD I had forgot just how truly awful this movie is, not awful bad, awful dreadful. Testament is actually a great film and you will find yourself deeply moved by its simple story. The story of a loving mother (Jane Alexander) and her efforts to keep her family together and alive after a nuclear war. In the film her small community is downwind of a large city that was hit with the bomb. The father leaves for work the morning of the attack and never returns and the mother is left to care for her family alone. Their small town was "lucky" in that they didn't experience the immediate effects of a nuclear detonation. But very soon the residents discover that they weren't as fortunate as they thought. Now instead of a quick death they all face a slow one through radiation poisoning and starvation. This is the apocalypse in all its horrible reality without Hollywood gloss. No explosions, no exciting action, no dramatic finale, no big hero or villain, just normal people, people slowly dying and knowing that there's nothing that they can do about it but try to survive another day. This is a difficult movie to watch but it does pull off an amazing feat. This is a film that somehow manages to be both beautiful and ugly at the same time, something you wouldn't think possible. No, Testament is not a "fun" movie, but it is a movie that should be seen.
Next up on the Apocalypse parade was Children of Men starring Clive Owen and Julianne Moore. The movie is set in Great Britain in the dystopian future of 2027 where England is a fascist state and the worst thing you can be is an immigrant. For some unknown reason women can no longer have children and it has been 18 years since the last baby was born. Owen plays an everyman that must help the only known pregnant woman escape the country. Children of Men is a good movie and I certainly have nothing bad to say about it, but it is one of those films that after you watch it once you probably won't ever want to see it again. This is one that you'll want to rent or buy very cheaply as I doubt you will watch it twice.
After watching The Signal I must say that it's a weird one. I'm giving it a marginally positive review and would say if you're a big horror fan to definitely see it. The story is about a TV broadcast which causes the people that watch it to turn into raging homicidal maniacs and then proceed to bash each other's skulls in with blunt objects and/or hack each other to pieces with sharp ones. The film is actually 3 short films with 3 different directors and each has its own feel, although the same characters are used throughout. There is a lot of horror and suspense, and then you throw in a little black comedy and mix it up with some soap opera domestic dispute and this is what you get. Not great but certainly enjoyable enough.
Next up on my doomsday movie list was Zombieland and I must say that it is the best end of the world zombie apocalypse comedy that I've seen in a long time. I laughed from beginning to end, except at those parts where I wasn't supposed to laugh, that would have just been weird. If you like Shaun of the Dead you will probably like this one too, its like that movie but hopped up on PCP. This movie has it all, flesh eating zombies, a hot chick with guns, celebrity zombie guest appearances. You'll laugh, you'll cry, well maybe not that much crying but you will enjoy yourself and the movie will even inspire you to start exercising more, REMEMBER RULE # 1 - CARDIO!
The next movie on my Apocalyptic must see list was Carriers and I thought it was a very good one, not perfect but entertaining, and even thought provoking at times. Carriers is about four twenty somethings (2 brothers and their girlfriends) trying to survive during a massive viral outbreak that has killed most of the population. The group is trying to make their way to a safe area (an old childhood haunt of the brothers) while avoiding close contact with anyone they meet. You see the virus that has wiped out most of the nation is very contagious, special steps or "the rules" must be strictly followed if a person is to survive. Within minutes of telling the audience these rules the group starts breaking them all while knowing that doing so could kill them all. And that story point brings up a very good question for anyone wanting to really think about it. Could you follow "the rules" strictly in a situation like this, where breaking them and having any kind of human compassion or empathy could get you or your entire group killed? Could you condemn innocent people to death to save yourself? I think I know how the average person would answer but would it be a truthful answer or just self-delusion? It is a good plot point and it makes for some interesting contemplation if you're up to it. I won't really go much into the story; I'll let you discover that on your own. I think that most viewers would like Carriers simply as entertainment and you might even find yourself asking serious questions about how "civilized" we would be once the facade of civilization comes off.
I have been on an Apocalyptic movie kick the last few weeks, watching several that I have been wanting to see for a while now. I've already reviewed two, The Book of Eli and The Road, and I will probably have some more in the weeks ahead. In fact here's one now...
The first is The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington. Washington stars as the title character traveling through a sun baked apocalyptic wasteland, fighting starvation, thirst and roaming highway gangs so that he can deliver "The Book" to "where it is needed". Gary Oldman also stars as a charismatic leader intent on taking the book from him so that he can use it to control the last remnants of society.
The second film reviewed is The Road starring Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee and is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Cormac McCarthy. The story concerns a father and son and their efforts to stay alive in a world dying around them.
After watching The Road though I still can't say if I would recommend it or not. I can't honestly even say if I liked it or not. I can say that it is a disturbing and emotionally powerful film; the ideas and imagery will linger in your mind long after seeing it. The abject horror of it all will remain with you. There are several unsettling moments throughout the film, one that immediately comes to mind is a scene where the father has to quickly decide between killing the son he loves or let him be taken by cannibals. That scene and others aren't easily forgotten. The movie is slowly paced and as mentioned the depressing tone can weigh heavy on you. The film doesn't really have a story and that is the point of The Road, there is none, the "story" is the relationship between Father and Son. Both Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee are excellent actors and are up to the difficult task, they bring the horror, tragedy and yes at times even inspiring moments in this film and bring them to life. The story of the father, who nearly loses his humanity while trying to assure his and his son's survival, and the son who represents the best of humanity and those traits that deserve to
survive. If you should decide to watch The Road I can't say that you will enjoy it, but I doubt you ever forget it.