You quite certainly get what you might have expected after seeing this one; it delivers enough edge of your seat moments, and the film is on par with other end of the world disaster films. Maybe at times some of the scenes were far too Hollywoodish, and were dumbed down a bit much. I anticipated this being visually exciting to see with all the special effects, and I wasn’t let down. Some of the scenes were surreal in their appearance; you can’t help but appreciate the hard work that went into bringing these disastrous moments to life sort of speak. German director Roland Emmerich directed this, he is known for his past contributions to end of the world films. He has been the executive producer and director for the hit film Independence Day (1996) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004). Harald Kloser worked on the screenplay with Roland Emmerich.
Although I respect a number of the actors who play parts in this film, it seemed like they were a bit off in their performances and didn’t match the story as unknown or upcoming actors might have. I think this would have made the film better overall. I guess what I’m saying is there is a lack of depth to the characters; the film’s leading characters are the CGI special effects that really stood out among everything else. Perhaps the actors didn’t have enough to work with and it fell short somehow.
Many people were disappointed from the lack of the Mayan prophecies which were not explored or explained in some way and then projected into the film. Basically, the story follows around a man named Jackson Curtis and his rocky relationship between his children and wife. Liam James plays Noah Curtis and Lilly Curtis played by Morgan Lily wife. John Cusack plays Jackson Curtis and his wife is played by Amanda Peet as Kate Curtis they share many scenarios together. These trials and tribulations lead them to a somewhat predictable ending.
We also see Adrian Helmsley played by British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor as a geologist who has read many books as a child and helps to predict what will happen next. Thandie Newton appears in this as the president’s daughter Laura Wilson. Danny Glover is President Thomas Wilson, Oliver Platt is Carl Anheuser, Thomas McCarthy is Gordon Silberman, Woody Harrelson is Charlie Frost, Zlatko Buric is Yuri Karpov, Beatrice Rosen is Tamara, Alexandre Haussmann is Alec, Philippe Haussmann is Oleg, and Johann Urb is Sasha.
This would be considered an action film, with some almost comedic moments of cheesy unrealistic scenes which play out. I still think however it is something you can enjoy at home while eating some popcorn.
I’ve seen a number of zombie films, but this one is a standout. I enjoyed everything from the opening sequence to the finish. This was directed by Ruben Fleischer and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The tagline for this film was “This place is so dead”
There are a number of slow motion moments in this, but not too many…that were cleverly used and well timed. The setting takes place during the day and night so you get a sense that the characters were in danger at all times. They often move around with great caution from everything that has happened. The streets and buildings look post apocalyptic.
The leading box office name in this one was Woody Harrelson playing a character named Tallahassee he loathes every zombie that comes his way with an immense amount of vengeance. The other leading actors in this small cast are Jesse Eisenberg playing Columbus a young man who gets caught up in this experience. He also narrates parts of the film and explains how things evolved to a land filled with zombies everywhere you turn. I enjoyed the special effects and theatrical makeup that was used. They later meet up with Emma Stone as Wichita and Abigail Breslin who plays her younger sister named Little Rock. There are a few bit parts in this that include Amber Heard playing a character given the name 406 and Bill Murray plays himself making an appearance that fittingly helps play out the movie later.
This movie paints a broad picture of America being run over by lots of zombies while poking fun of different parts of our modern day society. I thought it was quite clever and was worth going to see in the theatre. I think it might have done a little better being released closer to Halloween. But, there are more films coming that will give it competition. The movie is more of an action comedy type film than it was a horror picture. The horror setup the comedy and of course the action. I give this two thumbs way up!
It has been a while since I’ve seen a movie this good. I really liked it and I will explain why. The outlined story is about an American couple who have previously volunteered abroad in China. They elect to travel back to the states while taking the internationally Trans-Siberia Express railway train ride, which reaches across from east to west through Russia. The ride is a long journey, and along the way they find more than they expected. This was directed by Brad Anderson who also helped write the story with Will Conroy. I thought it was similar in some respects to an Alfred Hitchcock film. It seemed to have some of the elements that are an ongoing subtle presence in his films.
Woody Harrelson plays a man named Roy who is married to Jessie played by British actress Emily Mortimer. This movie really let her showcase her talents, and she shines through in the role of Jessie. Another couple shares their compartment aboard the train with them and changes everything. Kate Mara plays a young American woman named Abby and Eduardo Noriega plays her boyfriend named Carlos. Ben Kingsley later appears as Grinko and German actor Thomas Kretschmann plays Kolzak. There are more appearances by Etienne Chicot as the Frenchman, Mac McDonald plays the Minister, Colin Stinton is the Embassy Official, Perlis Vaisieta Manager Hotel Pushkin, Mindaugas Papinigis was the Young Detective, Mindaugas Capas was the Military Officer, Visockaite Sonata was Female Train Attendant #1, Larisa Kalpokaite was Female Train Attendant #2, and Valentinas Krulikovskis was the Young Waiter.
The character Roy enjoys trains and even collects them, later on it will pay off for him within the story. He is a typical nice average everyday guy and he loves his wife Jessie who he met by accident. Jessie has past issues dealing from many things from sex to drugs that seemingly put a strain on their marriage. I think you will find this film to be very enjoyable and suspenseful in not predicting where the story will go next. I highly recommend this one and think it was done very well.
“He’s a big city plastic surgeon…in a small town that doesn’t take plastic”.
This film I really liked a lot and I’ve seen it maybe 5 times since its release.
It is sad to think about Michael J. Fox not being able to move around like he used to.
But on a positive note, this is one of his better performances I thought.
And the movie story works extremely well. If you have lived in a big city your entire life, you might consider living in a small town someplace to get away from it all after watching this tale.
The casting was perfect, I thought all the actors fit each part just right, and you really start believing as you watch this film that these characters actually might exist.
Michael J. Fox plays Dr. Bejamin Stone and Julie Warner plays Vialula/Lou his romantic interest.
The town named Grady is set in South Carolina, and is a character itself providing the backdrop to this adventure.
The supporting cast includes Dr. Aurelius Hogue who is played by actor Barnard Hughes he has quite a long resume. I remember him in movies like The Lost Boys (1987) where he was the grandfather. Also, Woody Harrelson from the t v series Cheers plays Hank Gordon. There is a line he delivers at the end of the movie in reference to Ted Danson who co-starred with him on Cheers you might find funny.
I wanted to mention Mary Steenburgen who is not in this film, but is Ted Dansons wife. She appears with Michael J. Fox in the final Back To the Future 3 (1990) movie.
Bridget Fonda also appears in this movie as Nancy Lee Nicolson who is the daughter of Mayor Nick Nicholson played by actor David Ogden Stiers. Pop this movie in for a good character driven story with a heart.
