Upon learning that this movie became #1 when it premiered on Netflix, I decided to check it out. Not to mention it had a very interesting premise. An apocalyptic thriller about a family renting a beach house only to learn of an upcoming cataclysmic event involving a breakdown in phones, television and other technology, so they do whatever they can do survive. Sadly, it left me cold. That's not to say it's a terrible movie. I just wished that it could've been so much better.
Which is a shame, because there are some things I liked. First off, the cinematography is very beautiful to look at especially in the beginning, which was a strong start and could've made for a strong film. Not to mention the music score was very effective as it did fit the atmosphere the film was going for. The selling point of the movie, though, is the acting from everyone involved. Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Kevin Bacon and Mahershala Ali did great jobs with their own role, providing some good chemistry. Even the kid actors didn't do that bad of a job at all.
That being said, everything else left me underwhelmed. The story's premise was very interesting especially in the beginning, but later on, it gets both confusing and ridiculous which doesn't explain much that's been going on (especially the ending which came across as too silly and abrupt). I'm aware that this was adapted from the book of the same name, which I have yet to read, although I did learn that the movie changed certain stuff, so I guess that's the only reason why the audience were divided on this. Also, the directing/editing comes across as pretty weird especially with certain camera shots. Not to mention it's too slowly paced especially with the later half. As for the characters, sad to say that they left a lot to be desired execution-wise despite the strong efforts from the actors. Not one of them came across as likeable which is the biggest problem that left me cold.
I'm not trying to be too harsh since this movie got generally positive reviews from critics and other positive votes on this website. It's just that I wanted to like this movie so much considering it's premise, but at the end of the day fell short. It's well acted and has good cinematography, but didn't do anything else with it's premise. 5/10.
Which is a shame, because there are some things I liked. First off, the cinematography is very beautiful to look at especially in the beginning, which was a strong start and could've made for a strong film. Not to mention the music score was very effective as it did fit the atmosphere the film was going for. The selling point of the movie, though, is the acting from everyone involved. Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Kevin Bacon and Mahershala Ali did great jobs with their own role, providing some good chemistry. Even the kid actors didn't do that bad of a job at all.
That being said, everything else left me underwhelmed. The story's premise was very interesting especially in the beginning, but later on, it gets both confusing and ridiculous which doesn't explain much that's been going on (especially the ending which came across as too silly and abrupt). I'm aware that this was adapted from the book of the same name, which I have yet to read, although I did learn that the movie changed certain stuff, so I guess that's the only reason why the audience were divided on this. Also, the directing/editing comes across as pretty weird especially with certain camera shots. Not to mention it's too slowly paced especially with the later half. As for the characters, sad to say that they left a lot to be desired execution-wise despite the strong efforts from the actors. Not one of them came across as likeable which is the biggest problem that left me cold.
I'm not trying to be too harsh since this movie got generally positive reviews from critics and other positive votes on this website. It's just that I wanted to like this movie so much considering it's premise, but at the end of the day fell short. It's well acted and has good cinematography, but didn't do anything else with it's premise. 5/10.