From reading a bunch of other reviews here on IMDb, it appears a lot of folks were upset about the ending of the picture. Or some would say, lack of one. I've thought about it some, and I've come to the conclusion that if the apocalypse portrayed in the story were actually happening, one's final moments might turn out to be similar to the ones experienced by the characters in this story. In other words, here we are doing, thinking, or saying something, and then it's all over. No hint of warning, just planes dropping out of the sky and oil tankers running aground. Somewhat like those dire prognosticators of Y2K yammered about that eventually came to nothing. So, when Rose Sandford (Farrah Mackenzie) got to experience her only wish to see the last episode of "Friends", she could go out a happy camper.
From my perspective, I thought the film had quite an original premise with the Scotts returning home after they had already rented it out to the Sandfords. With the families feeling each other out, I thought it was Amanda Sandford (Julia Roberts) who was the insufferable one harboring a bleak view of humanity. No doubt a racist angle would be put into play, but ultimately that came to naught. The business with the flamingos and ominous deer herd was an interesting dynamic, but again, not delivering anything substantive to the story. As a prophetic vison about what might be, the script's mention of China, Korea and Iran teaming up to vow 'Death to America' is one we ought to take seriously, because real life isn't a movie, and evil does exist in the world.
The movie had me recalling the 1964 picture "The Last Man on Earth', in turn remade of a sort with 1971's "The Omega Man" and then again in 2007 with "I Am Legend". Though no vampires, zombies, or hemocytes appear in this one, the bleakness of a disastrous outcome is always palpable, and given credence with a dire newspaper headline of the White House under attack and a cityscape going up in plumes of destruction. My closing thought was that M. Night Shyamalan would have been proud.
From my perspective, I thought the film had quite an original premise with the Scotts returning home after they had already rented it out to the Sandfords. With the families feeling each other out, I thought it was Amanda Sandford (Julia Roberts) who was the insufferable one harboring a bleak view of humanity. No doubt a racist angle would be put into play, but ultimately that came to naught. The business with the flamingos and ominous deer herd was an interesting dynamic, but again, not delivering anything substantive to the story. As a prophetic vison about what might be, the script's mention of China, Korea and Iran teaming up to vow 'Death to America' is one we ought to take seriously, because real life isn't a movie, and evil does exist in the world.
The movie had me recalling the 1964 picture "The Last Man on Earth', in turn remade of a sort with 1971's "The Omega Man" and then again in 2007 with "I Am Legend". Though no vampires, zombies, or hemocytes appear in this one, the bleakness of a disastrous outcome is always palpable, and given credence with a dire newspaper headline of the White House under attack and a cityscape going up in plumes of destruction. My closing thought was that M. Night Shyamalan would have been proud.