KneeJerk Reaction: “The Road” (The Movie)
A quick one: Went to a test screening of “the Road” tonight (thanks to Dane). I had not read the book, but the concept seemed (as Tyler put it) right up my alley. Post-apocalyptic survival/morality exploration. Viggo looks AWFUL, but I guess that’s the point. The kid actor is not very good, but I’ll give him a decent break. Charlize Theron is underused but has probably the most interesting character/scenes. Guy Pearce is confusing and upsetting.
The movie is depressing. Really depressing, especially (I’d imagine) if you had a good relationship with your father (I had neither). Questions of morality vs survival are VERY interesting to me, especially in this post-apocalyptic (post-religion) world, where all the old rules are thrown out the window. Lines are drawn and blurred between “good guys” and “bad guys” and there are some extremely interesting scenes here.
There are also some cheap studio (I assume) tricks to jump and disgust and depress you, which was sad.
I had read a post (on io9?) about the great visuals in the movie and because of that, found them a bit lacking. The desolate landscapes were desolate, yes, but evocative and interesting, not so much. The crux of the movie for me was the question of suicide. The assumption of a desire for living is thrown out the window in a situation like in “The Road”. You wonder then, does suicide become more justified/understood? Does it still matter whether or not there is a life to follow?
The movie immerses the audience in a woeful situation, provoking thought occasionally, shocking you into submission in others. As I said, I have not read the book, but from what I’ve gleaned, the movie is fairly faithful. I would recommend it to some, especially those with large disposable incomes or low movie prices. Let me know what you think @gmail.
