The Road (2008)

Someone asked me if I liked The Road, upon watching it. I had no answer. The Road is just one of those films that is too hard to describe. Is the movie good? Well, yes it is-that is a far easier question to answer. I have read the book and must say that the film really does it justice. It is bleak, dreary, utterly depressing and flawlessly acted.

Viggo Mortensen is a man with no name, who, alone with his son (also no name) is attempting to survive what seems to be some sort of apocalypse. We never see what transpired-we only see the aftermath. We are not given a timeline, though you can judge for yourself how long man and son have been attempting to 'live'. Mortensen carries the entire film on his weathered and weary shoulders. I cannot gush enough about his performance-in any film really. But here, you only have to look into his eyes-so full of soul and despair to realise that not only is this man acting, he is really and truly transformed. Just incredible really.

The atmosphere is grainy and desolate, without color of any kind and as you watch, you slowly go mad envisioning what you would do in such a situation. The film features horrors that include cannibalism and at one point, you see the father teach his son how to properly kill himself if anything should ever happen to him. Very disturbing.

By film's end, you are mentally exhausted. This is not a fast-paced film at all. It is purposefully slow-going and I believe that was done with the intent to transport you inside the film itself, and in my mind, it succeeds. After the credits started to roll, I found myself depressed for the rest of the day. This is probably one of the most desolate films I've ever seen, so I would avoid it if you like your films with satisfying ending-because this isn't it.

I wasn't sure if I should give this movie one star or five...

I settled on four.

.......(shaking head)

I've never read the book so all I knew about the movie was a guy and his kid survive the end of the world and that was about it.

They never say what it was that ended the planet. I'm guessing it was some kind of bomb but all that's left is man.

No animals.

No crops.

No trees.

Nothing.

Within the first ten minutes of the movie I was in tears and I knew I'd be in for a rocky ride.

I WAS NOT prepared for what this movie threw at me.

Ok, the good.

Why would I give the movie five stars?

Excellent acting, incredible score.

The movie sucks you right in and doesn't let go.

The direction is brilliant.

The pacing is slow but deliberate and very effective.

The movie is a masterpiece except for....

The bad?

Why would I give one star?

Umm....I don't know how many of you have played the Resident Evil video games but when you stumble upon a big scary mansion looming in the mist, RUN THE OTHER WAY.

Chances are said mansion will have scary, icky things in it.

And the mansion part of this movie will haunt me for years to come.

YUCK!

Not that this part of the movie is gory, it kind of is.

It's the mental impact of what is happening in the mansion and really all over the Earth.

This movie is the darkest, most depressing, desolate thing I have ever seen and I never want to see this movie again.

I settled on four stars.

The movie is a masterpiece and one of the scariest movies I've ever seen.

It's not even technically a horror movie but that's what kind of impact it had on me.

I guess what really scares me the most is the fact that this entire scenario is possible.

Funny....that great thing we call the mind of man is what has elevated us from the club wielding/rock throwing days to where we are now as a species.

It will be the same mind of man that reduces us right back to where we originated, maybe even worse if this movie is any indication.

I pray the bombs never fly during my lifetime but if they do.

I know where fallout shelters are...

I won't be going.

I'll go right outside and welcome the end with outstretched arms.

Even if you did survive, what kind of life would be left for you or your loved ones?

Is that really something you'd wish on them or yourself?

If the end really was as bad as this...

My prayers for the survivors.

Imagine a planet filled with Ted Bundy's and Jeffrey Dahmers running around in gangs.

For those who say "This could never happen".

It already has.

Go read about Holodomor in Ukraine. People can and will revert back to their most absolute brutish ways in very little time under the worst circumstances.

...Maybe this wasn't the best movie for me to watch.

I cry during car commercials if the music is sappy enough.

This movie will stay with me for years to come.

Excellent job by Mortensen, Theron and the boy.

Do I recommend this movie?

If and that's a HUGE IF you can stomach the subject matter of a post apocolyptic world filled with murdering cannibals, then yes.

Otherwise I'd say for sensitive viewers, don't watch it.

It's a masterpiece of utter brutality, desperation and hopelessness.

There is no happy ending here.

Buy The Road (2008) Now

Agree with and can't really add to what other reviewers have said here. This is serious stuff. It does follow the book very closely and most scenes are exactly as I had envisioned them. It is a very dark, lonely, depressing story, BUT -with a strong underlying element of hope and love. Specifically, that which makes us human, why we press onward when all seems lost. For what? In this case, a fathers love for his son. The mood expressed is not an especially popular one for a major motion picture and as such, is one of the reasons I bought it on Blu-ray, not because it is something I want to watch repeatedly, but because I have a LOT of respect for and want to support filmmakers that are willing to go against the trend of only producing light, pop-culture, feel-good, easily digestible "product".

Read Best Reviews of The Road (2008) Here

If you're looking for a standard action-packed hollywood movie, or a thriller, or shallow fun, you might hate this. This is a super heavy, dark, grim, intelligent, dreadful post-apocolypse film. You REALLY need to know that, and be in the mood for it.

If you loved "Blade Runner," or are in the mood for something slow and deep and grim and meaningful and dark as hell, or just love well-made apocalypse movies, this is it.

Not a kid's movie whatsoever. A very realistic, adult, educated, and hideous view of what it would be like after a real all-out global war & the aftermath.

It is NOT about PLOT. It's about REALITY. It demonstrates what our lives would be like in this scenario: painfully plotless. If you're student of film or literature or any kind of intelligent culture, you'll probably get this; if you're not, you probably won't.

The acting, production, direction, writing, ambiance, and everything else is excellent.

The message of the film is as deep and powerful as the movie is grim and dark. Which is what it's about. Not just shallow entertainment or meaningless fluff, but the exact oppositte of those. It takes you into a world of overwhelming desolation, and then explores what really matters in such a world... and the world you might be in already.

That said, I consider this one of the best Apocalypse movies around, and deeply meaningful.

Want The Road (2008) Discount?

As of this writing, we are not living the horrors of a post-apocalyptic event, as portrayed in this film. However, all of us who are parents still face the same issues, so painfully faced by this father. What will become of our children if we are no longer able to watch out for them? Who will really have their best interests at heart, watch out for them, and protect them, if we are unable? The world, as it exists today, is often a cruel, terrible place with thieves, con-men, murderers and vile beasts passing themselves off as human. Thankfully, there ARE some good people, even strangers, who will do what is right in the face of the most terrible adversity. There are also those who will descend into the most heinous existence, doing what they must to survive regardless of the horrors they might inflict on others, even children.

This film is absolutely outstanding, and does a great job at capturing some of the themes central to Mr. McCarthy's novel. The acting is amazing.

Both the novel and the movie end on a promising note, but we have to wonder if that was simply Mr. McCarthy showing a little mercy for his readers by throwing them a thin glimmer of hope. The novel and the movie could have just as easily ended as we all feared they might. The innocent, sweet child could have fallen into the wrong hands, and died the most terrible death.

In our non-post apocalyptic world, people (even children) die every day as victims of another person's inhumanity. Watch this film, not to enjoy but to reflect. The Man says, "I'm trying to prepare him for when I am gone." I guess that is what all of us who love our children are trying to do.

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