The Road

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Michael D It’s good but seeing it in 2024 eyes a little bland and melodramatic. Last of Us and a dozen other modern takes have a lot more going for them, just watch those. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/17/24 Full Review Faiz D A beautifully shot film with a haunting, disturbing story. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Adrian A All in all, the film is worth your time if you're looking for some good old post-apocalypse misery, or if you're a fan of the book and want a chance to relive the story to an extent. For those familiar with McCarthy's work, this adaptation will seem a bit saccharine. Where once the hollow landscape was painted by McCarthy's hauntingly sparse prose, every scene in the film is punctuated by sad little arpeggios plinked away on a piano, or a tense scene is blanketed with dissonant strings. I craved the honest bleakness of the book, but felt the filmmaker's hand trying to guide my emotions at every turn. Now, all that said, the performances are spot on here, as are the landscapes. The events of the book are rearranged, for reasons I am unsure of, as it did not seem to enhance the story. But it is, at least, comprised of almost entirely out of the events of the book. It is a faithful, if somewhat standard adaptation, taking the book at face value and presenting it on the screen with a simple earnestness. At least it never tries to shy away from the striking imagery McCarthy presented. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/11/24 Full Review Jonathan H This must be one of the hardest movies to rate. It is well done, no doubt, with its desaturated look, quiet, disturbing mood, dystopian settings and strong acting from the two main characters. There isn't a lot of backstory to build off here, so we are left with many unanswered questions and confusion throughout the story. And if you are looking for hope, you really don't find any here. It is extremely depressing and disturbing, as we watch the humanity drained from every character until they shrivel up, literally and metaphorically. Perhaps this is some kind of analogy for the world or for our country... who knows? Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/17/24 Full Review Peter S Worst movie I have ever seen. I wanted to kill myself after watching this incredibly depressing and harrowing movie. Not one moment of light, not a single sign of hope for anyone. Dystopian indeed, but with a massive dose of pessimism, coated in despair and wrapped up in tears. If you are looking to walk away feeling desperately unhappy and giving up on life, this is the movie for you. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 05/16/24 Full Review Andy B There are two basic approaches to a post-apocalyptic narrative: the hopeful one that shows humanities good side winning through against the odds (or, at least, giving hope that this will happen) and the nihilistic approach that concentrates on humanities bad side to the point that you really want everyone to die. The Road falls firmly in the latter category. The photography captures this beautifully with its muted colours and incessant use of grey. For that is what the world is grey, grey and more grey and, oh by the way, everyone is going to die. It might be well acted (which it is), it might be beautifully shot (which it is) and it might be a faithful adaptation of an apparently much loved novel (which it allegedly is) but it's miserable. It makes me want to remove the novel from my TBR pile as I don't think I need another dose of depression. It has one message : we're all going to die. A one word description of this film: bleak. Not the sort of film to recommend to anyone in need of cheering up. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/06/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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