Salt Lake Tribune Review
The apocalypse, it turns out, is better described with words than with images. I think that's why director
John Hillcoat's depressingly literal-minded depiction of the end of the world doesn't hold a candle to author
Cormac McCarthy's evocative written depictions of the unnamed cataclysm and the fight for survival that followed it.
Viggo Mortensen is solid as the unnamed father, trying to protect his son (
Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they walk past marauding hordes and other dangers toward a hoped-for sanctuary. Screenwriter
Joe Penhall (who adapted
Ian McEwan's Enduring Love ) adds more flashbacks, to beef up the mother role to justify
Charlize Theron's casting. But Penhall and Hillcoat unfold events at a plodding pace, making this walk down "The Road" as grueling for us as it is for the onscreen survivors.
-- Sean P. Means
Dark and bleak, but what were you expecting?
Submitted by: itsahowl
Apocalyptic visions are usually dark and bleak and Cormac McCarthy's The Road is one of best books written with this scenario as a backdrop. So what should you expect from a screen adaptation? The Road is a faithful scene by scene visualation of the book, and as such it is dark, foreboding, and yes as Sean Means points out "grueling". That need not be a criticism however, because it represents the emotional attachment that the audience feels for the two main characters whose day to day survival and decline is disturbing to watch. Disturbing but nevertheless very compelling. The filmmakers quite wisely chose not revise the story to include action sequences ala I Am Legend, or the upcoming Book of Eli in order to draw in younger audiences. The vision of McCarthy remains intact and the film is a another example of a good adaption of his work. Hopefully Blood Meridian, when it is released in 2011 will continue the trend.
Synopsis: After a nuclear explosion, a man goes on a nightmarish road trip in an attempt to transport his son to safety, while fending off starving stragglers and marauding packs of cannibals.
I also see it under Tinseltown 17 in Layton when I click the ALL THEATERS button. [ Report Abuse ]