The Road Review

I know, I know.  Why haven't you updated in ages?!  How come you haven't let us know where you've been?  To be honest, we both got kinda lax about updating and for that I'm sorry.  On the good side though, we're gonna have a special treat for you guys that will be ready right after Christmas.  So until then (which is about 2 days from now), I'm going to give you a special treat of not one, not two, but THREE reviews!  Here's the first of them: The Road.

The Road is a post apocalyptic tale about a man and his son just trying to survive in a world where it's kill or be killed.  Playing the dad we have Viggo Mortensen and his son is played by Kodi Smit-McPhee.  I will say though, this movie is not for people with clinical depression in an attempt to bring them up.  The movie shows the father and son heading south in an attempt to  find a glimmer of hope in this gray, dark world.  Instead they meet up with murderers, cannibals, starvation, and above all else, death.  Even with all of these things going on around them, the father still remains hopeful for something that will never come.


Isn't that awesome?  Don't you want to take your friends to go hang out at this one?  No?  Well that's fine in all honesty.  This movie isn't made to be seen by everyone as some happy go lucky end of the year film.  The movie is saddening, yes, but it's acted out in such a way that truly makes it a great movie to see.


After some unknown event occurs on Earth it seems and probably is uninhabitable.  All the plant life and animals have died, the skies are a permanent gray, and only a few people are left alive.  Most people that are left are vicious, cannibalistic humans or people ready to commit suicide.  From there we see how the father and son act and react towards the various people they meet with.  Most of them are what the dad refers to as "bad people", but there's a scene where they meet an old man (played by Robert Duvall) who shows them that there still is some kindness left in this barren world.


We learn that the father used to be married right when the apocalypse occurred.  The reason he's not anymore is that his wife committed suicide after his son was born.  We also learn very quickly that the father is willing to do anything, anything to protect his son.  This makes for a great dramatic as he is willing to go so far as to waste his last two bullets trying to stop people from harming his son.  Ultimately though, this over protectiveness causes him to create distance between him and his son.


Overall, the movie is great to see.  Despite the depressing parts of the movie, it tells a great emotional tale of of a father trying to raise his son in a world that is beyond cut throat.  Also, as a side note, The Road was based off a book by the same name.  The author of The Road (Cormac McCarthy) is also the author of No Country for Old Men, which is cool to know.  Unlike No Country, there isn't a twist ending to The Road.


Final Verdict: See It


Till Next Time,
Mike


thanks to soundonsight.org for the picture