Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The Road - An Honest to OMG Movie Review...not really

I spent some time tonight watching The Road. It's a film starring Viggo Mortensen. Viggo gets a chance to really act in this movie, which was pretty awesome. He did a great job overall. The film is a classic post-apocalyptic film which successfully puts the cause of the apocalypse on the back burner to highlight what these films are really about -- that is, a sociological experiment. It's about a civilized primate living in a world completely devoid of civilization. We are people who require the existence and cooperation of other people. Without it, we become savages. We become people no better than the animal kingdom we take such pride in being above. This film really highlights that fact like so few post-apocalyptic tales really do. The Walking Dead is an exception to this statement, though as I mentioned in a previous post.

I won't put any spoilers in here, so it's safe to read on, but, consequently, it's important to note that I won't be talking about anything near the end. Nothing spectacular happens whatsoever, but it's still no fun to hear about a narrative conclusion before you come to it. The film, overall, is about a man and hisson surviving in a world without the comforts you and I experience every day. It's about human intimacy and the practical experimentation of moral axioms that we've come to rely upon. It shows the challenges of the moral "good" and moral "evil." In short, it's a great apocalyptic film. Strong acting and good cinematography really support the script here. Anyway, you have my vote to see it, but I wouldn't bring the wife. It's the sortof tale that seems most applicable to the anthropological role of protector, which is often most psychologically suited for the fathers out there.

That's pretty much it. Conclusions are for papers. This is not a paper.

3 comments:

  1. I love the post-apocalyptic setting, dude. Can't wait to see this. If you'd like to try a post-apoc MMO, btw, Fallen Earth has a 10-day free trial going. Just le me know, though, so I can log in too.

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  2. John L. here...

    I loved The Road, "Are we the good guys?" and "Do you carry the light?" are such great questions for anyone wanting to understand humanity. I feel like the movie tells us that morals are subjective but Good is not. There are Good guy and Bad guys and the morality of a person is defined by their priorities. To eat, to protect your son, to be good. It is an almost remarkable movie, very good.

    And hey Tim, I'd be willing to give that game a shot if there's someone or some people to play with! Hit me up on facebook.

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  3. I'll definitely check it out as soon as I can. I'm a biggo Viggo fan. Though if it makes me think too much I might Hulk out and smash the screen. Just a warning.

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