Movie: The Road

[Retriever Mama]

Second of two post-apocalyptic movies I saw this week...

This was one of the most depressing movies I have ever seen. Viggo Mortenson and his 10-year-old son are trying to survive in a world that is being torn apart. While never fully explained...it seems that the some natural disaster has occurred on the earth causing the forests to burn and the ground to move and the sun to be blocked by the murky sky. Viggo Mortenson and his wife, a then pregnant Charlize Theron, tried to survive the sudden cold, lack of food and water...and the inevitable rogue gangs of murderers and cannibals...

And now it is just Viggo and his son...trying to follow a road south to where is should be warmer and safer. They have to avoid the cannibal gangs and survive on bugs...and suffer through bitter cold and falling trees...

Of course, Viggo has a gun with 2 bullets in it. One for him and one for his son. If it gets too bad. But will he be able to do it if the time comes?

Depressing with a capital D. Not a bad movie...the acting was phenomenal and the cinematography and vision of what this future world was like was very well done...in 20 different shades of gray. Not a happy summer day rental.

3 STARS

[uncouth]

I have not seen the movie yet, but I have read the book. In large, I agree with your sentiment... It's a bleak and depressing novel, but I suppose that's appropriate given the setting and the plot. It's a very fast read, and the writing is very, very good.

I'll have to see the movie just to see how the dark tone and desolate landscape transfer to the screen.

[zoezoe]

i am going to rent this one over the weekend. watched the previews and looked pretty good.

[gundog]

I have the book on the shelf at home to read........all accounts are it's pretty dark.

If you like the end of the world thing, some other ones are:

Lucifers Hammer......an asteroid hits earth and causes havoc, good book.

One Second After......the usa after an EMP attack and a small town in north Carolina copes. Not the best written book but scary because it's very possible to happen. This book scared me into making some "preps"......

Patriots........don't recommend it......silly and over the top

Dies the fire......."Something" causes all machinery to die like an EMP but it also disables all guns/black powder etc and plunges the world into the dark ages. It's kinda fluffy and more fun than the others and probably a less likely vision of the world in that situation.

Alas, Babylon..........about a nuclear attack by the russions on the usa.

[zoezoe]

too dark for me to watch the movie; i kept squinting to try to see what was going on.
if i run out of things to read; might try that.

[Jan]

I only got about half way through the book -- it was WAY to bleak for me. No way I'd see the movie!

[Diesel_Dawg]

I just saw this the other night On Demand. Man, no kidding it was depressing. But wow about the acting! I find that child actors nowadays are very cheesy, actually I did enjoy that Hailey Os-something or other in the Sixth Sense, he was good, but overall I find their acting is really horrible compared to kids back in the early days. But the kid in The Road, really broke my heart! OMG I thought he did a phenomenal job. I found this movie really gripping although the overall premise may be thought to be a little recycled until you dive in.