The Road

I rarely write reviews on sites like this, but as some of the other reviewers seem to have completely missed the point about the film I'll offer a different take. I genuinely believe The Road to be one of the true masterpieces of modern cinema, a beautifully poignant, thought provoking, intelligent and mature take on the post-apocalyptic scenario which is daringly different to the usual Hollywood end-of-the-world fare. Set against the backdrop of a recently occurred major disaster (the details of which are left to the viewers imagination, creating a real sense of unease and confusion which ties in with how the characters are feeling, rather than making it "pointless" as others have suggested), the story simply follows the journey of an unnamed father and son in their attempts to remain alive in a world of few survivors. Yes it is impossibly bleak in tone and setting, yet there is such a dark beauty to the cinematography which perfectly gets across Cormac McCarthy's original vision. The casting, performances (particularly the boy who is astonishing), pacing and story are utterly faithful to the novel which is brave, not least because of one particularly harrowing scene and the moving ending... clearly not everyone gets it but I've not been as moved by a film for a very long time, so it's worth taking a chance on.

The Road directed by John Hillcoat is a post apocalyptic film based on the book of the same name written by Cormac McCarthy which notably won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The story revolvers around the two main characters. The man and the Boy who are trying desperately to survive and hold onto their humanity in a world where there is no government law or society and were murder rape and cannibalism are common place.

[Skip if you are not interested in the book]
First things first for fans of the book you will be pleased to know that aside from a few enhancements that are expected with a book to film adaptation the film itself is actually very loyal to the book and definitely captures the main themes and emotions. So if you enjoyed the book you should defiantly buy the DVD. If you do not want to take my word for it then Cormac McCarthy also personally indorsed it as well which is good enough for me.

To everyone else the main thing I want to get across to you is what I said in the title of the review. What would you do? As mentioned previously the world as we know it is gone the planet has been dying for roughly the last ten years. All vegetation and life has died and decayed and resources are at a critical low and the law of the land is very much every man for himself.

The film consequently while quite depressing in certain aspects is quite thought provoking and in truth is about humanity. How do humans react in extreme circumstances. How would you deal with this situation? Would you even want to live in a world like this? If you did how would you look after your family? If you are a parent like the Man is in the film what lengths would you go to in order to protect your child? Could you take their life in order to protect them from a much worse fate? These are the sort of questions I found myself asking while watching the film and to be honest I still have not answered all of those questions. The film therefore engaged me on an emotional intellectual and philosophical level and deserves to be watched.

While that does indeed sound very bleak there is hope. Obviously The Road is not the sort of film you sit back and laugh at with a box full of popcorn but at its core the film shows that despite the terrible circumstances there can still be love between a father and son. That despite everything humanity and morals still exist among some people and that not everyone has degenerated into mindless animals. So yes the film can be depressing but it depends on your perspective and outlook on life. Is the glass half full or half empty? Is it terrifying how much humanity is lost or a good thing that some considering the circumstances still exists? I personally take the latter view and loved the film.

Forgive me for the long review but I hope you found it interesting and informative if you do not necessarily agree with it.

This movie hit all my buttons and the beauty is that you never quite know what is going to happen especially if like me you never read the book. This movie made me feel shocked and guilty about drinking a soft drink!!
I have seen more than my share of road movies where the hero is a 12th degree blackbelt in whatever, never tires and has more weapons than your average ninja turtle. Forget all that this is joe nobody and his boy trying to reach the sea for what they hope will be a better life. You will feel for them and the scenes where they have to remain quiet you wont even blink or breathe heavy I promise you. Enjoy this movie it is a classic and I don't give 5 stars lightly.

The Road is a hard movie to watch. It takes its time to get going and is a pretty Grim Tale.
Saying that though I found it to be Engaging, Thoughtful and Sad.
Its about trying to survive in Extreme Circumstances and protect and live for those we love, all with a bit of Dignity.
Its not a great film, not something I would rush to watch again, but I am glad I did watch it.
The acting was Splendid across the board, Viggo Mortensen gives one of his best performances so far, and the Kid was very good.
The Legend that is Robert Duvall, was just Amazing as usual and Charlie Therzon leaves a mark in a small role.

On a slightly different not this movie seems to be getting some strange reviews.
The people who are not liking the film seem to be expecting some sort of Action movie.
This is not a Post Apocalyptic Action move like I Am Legend. This is not Friday Night Laughs and Entertainment.
Sometimes you need to know what type of film you are about to watch, and The Road is one of them.

I am a dad so considering the subject matter watching this movie was not enjoyable for me, in fact it made me depressed and gave me troubled sleep, however I do appreciate that this is a very well put together film of a respected book.

I think the movie has a strong point and I think it wants to show how humanity can so easily be lost when society is destroyed and replaced with survival.

I can only guess the past is filled with examples of this in wars and catastrophes throughout history, It aso serves as a reminder to me of potential wars and natural diasters to come and how fragile modern society is in respect of this.