End
Of The World
(2013/Anchor Bay DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: D Telefilm: C-
With
the title and box art alone, you know that you are in for a typical
end of the world film, but End
of the World
(2013), which premiered on the Syfy Channel back in February, brings
humor (and some god awful visual effects) to the table to bring us a
low budget film that hits all the expected plot points and character
archetypes. It is better than average with some relatable characters
and some scenes that aren't half bad.
Starring
Greg Grunberg (NBC's Heroes)
as a failing video store owner and his fellow film nerd friend Neil
Grayston (Eureka)
their shared knowledge of disaster movies is put to the ultimate test
when electric currents (similar to asteroids) shower down upon the
small Colorado-set town that they live in. As the sky starts to
fall, our heroes band together some close friends including Greg's
Girlfriend Caroline Cale (The
L Word)
and his asshole second cousin (Mark Hildred of the remake of V)
where they disband on tracking down the only man who can help give
them an answer - acclaimed science fiction author and theorist Doctor
Brown (the infamous Brad Dourif of Child's
Play
and Lord
of the Rings).
As trust is tested, the group disbands and they face global anarchy,
failing power lines, and several film references as they try to
figure a solution to protect themselves from the end of the world as
we know it. By busting Dourif out of the insane asylum in which he
is held, they can find a bunker to get to safety before they too end
up barbequed by the meteor shower. Will they make it in time?
Though
the effects are indescribably bad, the film was better than I
initially expected it to be. I laughed at several moments and wasn't
bored by the unoriginal plot. I felt like some scenes were just too
much a copy of past disaster flicks (a mountain of smoke and debris
rolling off a mountain towards them was a little too Dante's
Peak)
but the scenes with Brad Douriff are a highlight and I actually don't
think Greg Grunberg is all that bad of an actor. Mark Hildred flops
as the jerky anti-hero though, giving us a forced performance that
feels generic.
The
picture and sound on the disc are average for the DVD format and
nothing to really write home about. Presented in standard
definition, the anamorphic aspect ratio of the film is preserved in
its original 1.78:1 broadcast with a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix.
Subtitles in English and Spanish are also available on the disc for
the deaf and hard of hearing.
There
are no extras on the disc.
If
you're a fan of disaster movies or B-Movies, then this may be a good
choice for you. Otherwise, stick with the classics in the genre.
While this film is better than usual for Syfy, it's by no means
worthy of classic or cult status but rather an ambitious screenplay
that wasn't a total failure considering the budget.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv
