Summary:
Two brothers get orphaned when the world’s suddenly taken over by aliens. One supposedly dies a hero in the early days of resistance. The other, just goes about his business in a factory sorting old pictures from data cards. He wants out of Chicago, but he’s trapped, like everybody else. John Goodman plays a cop (the partner of the detective who died leaving two pre-teen sons). He’s trying to keep the surviving kid safe, in his own way.
Additional Comments:
– Was my intro summary confusing? Well, it ain’t gonna get much better if you see the movie.
– Plot 3/5 stars: It’s very disjointed. Things make sense in the end, and there’s a bit of satisfaction in knowing that. Still, the first half of the movie hardly seems related to each other.
– Film choices 3/5: I’m certain there’s a better word than that, but some of the angles they chose to employ were stupid. For large sections, there was a complete top-down view. That made sense in some cases and not in others. Also, several spots featured closeups to the actors. I mean, you should see this dude’s pores and nose hairs close. Finally, shaky cam. There is no reason to have the man/woman with the camera following some poor actor at a jog. I get that it’s supposed to induce a sense of urgency. I got mild nausea and sweeping irritation as a result.
– Characters 3.5/5: Besides not really knowing most of these people’s names, you do get to follow quite a few people on both sides of the “conflict” – those who help the alien invaders and those who want to fight for freedom.
– Comments on the aliens: I might have taken them more seriously if they didn’t resemble ticked off porcupines. The tracking bugs were devious, gross, and kinda cool. The alien ship looked like a runaway anthill. Ender’s Game this is not.
– End twist 4/5: I enjoyed the end twist. Yes, you can see it coming, but it’s still satisfying and finally ties up at least some of the crazy random threads that permeate this movie.
Conclusion:
Weird movie. Not necessarily an emotional lift, but I guess it’s okay. To be fair, I’m not a huge fan of dystopia. This is billed as scifi, but it’s more dystopia (world’s gone to the aliens).
Associate links to follow…
Amazon Prime
The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.
If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.
Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.
Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.
OR
