'The Road' (2009) - One of the Best Apocalyptic Stories Ever Filmed

In a post-apocalyptic world in which most of the human and animal population is gone, we are given a glimpse into the journey of a man (Viggo Mortensen) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) to the southern coast of the United States after his wife (Charlize Theron), who suffers from post-partum depression, leaves one winter to die in the freezing cold. The pair must look out for each other as they have to survive in a world now filled with looters, thieves, murderers, and even cannibals while they themselves need to find food where ever they can while still maintaining a level of morals, civility, and humanity. They also have a handgun with 2 bullets for themselves in case they get in trouble without an escape.

"The Road" is a theatrical movie adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same name that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2007. The movie had a limited theatrical release in the U.S. in 2009. I read the book back in 2008 I believe and when the movie was released I was surprised because the time between the publication and movie marketing was so short. The book was so good I just had to see the movie but I held off because I thought the movie would not stand up to the quality of the book. After watching the movie, I am blown away by the stellar quality of the movie and acting -- I should have watched it right away. I won't say that the movie is not different from the book but I don't really recall any differences between the two -- it seems to be true to the book.

The book and movie are both very vague with character names and the cause of the world devastation. The main characters are only referred to as The Man and The Boy but no one uses names. The world is plunged into some kind of nuclear winter that could be caused by several things including meteor strike, super volcano, or nuclear war but we never receive a clear explanation. This lack of knowledge forces us to focus on character development plus it sounds like the devastation came suddenly and without warning so none of the characters might know the exact cause. In any event, the viewer really does not need to know and are meant to be on an even playing field as the characters within the movie.

This is very much a drama-driven movie with a slow and developing story that allows us to get a really deep understanding of the main characters. This is not a movie that moves quickly with a lot of violent, brutal action with excessive explosions, gore, and special effects. If you want a fast-moving action movie, this movie is definitely not for you.

There is really no story per se outside the post-apocalyptic backdrop for which we are a not given many details. We just watch the man and his son traveling across the country to look for a better place to live and possibly find good people. It might sound boring to some viewers but it's rather like a reality TV show or soap opera, so, if you like any of those, you might like this. It really gives you something to think about concerning humanity, existence, and moral society.

"The Road" is a running time of 111 minutes but it never became boring for me. I was really drawn into the movie's drama and characters and also the uncertainty of whom or what they might encounter further up the road. This is why I like the whole "what if?" concept in apocalyptic stories.

Viggo Mortensen, best known his role as Aragorn in "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" (2001) and "28 Days" (2000), gives a stellar and moving performance as the Man. It's probably one of the best performances of his career. The emotion he shows feels real and authentic.

Kodi Smit-McPhee plays the Boy very well. Some viewers don't find his character to be believable but I think his acting fits because he is playing a boy who was born into a post-apocalyptic world with the only two people he knows being his parents. I think he gives a great performance.

Charlize Theron gives a great performance as the Woman, wife of Mortensen's character and mother of the Boy, despite only being in the movie for a few minutes. We see her only in flashbacks occasionally throughout the movie because her character is already dead before the current story begins.

Two surprise actors for me in this movie include Robert Duvall as an Old Man encountered on the road and Guy Pearce as a Veteran. Duvall gives a great performance as always -- I did not really recognize him until I read the credits.

The atmosphere and setting in "The Road" is dark and dismal but that it as it should be considering it is set in a post-apocalyptic world. America is a burned out landscape covered with gray ash from a dark sky and a bone-numbing cold air. The ground often shakes with earthquake tremors and gray trees fall everywhere.

"The Road" is rated R for some violence, disturbing images, and language. There is very little nudity, just a few behinds. The most disturbing thing, but is not depicted, is the concept of cannibalism on the part of the bad characters who have completely let go of civility and society.

The ending is very sad and positive at the same time, the two final events occur almost at the same time. Some viewers will probably shed a few tears.

Conclusion

I highly recommend the book and movie versions of "The Road," as both portray a very emotionally-moving story with great acting and realistic situations. Give it a view.

Rating: 5/5

Quotes

The Man: I told the boy when you dream about bad things happening, it means you're still fighting and you're still alive. It's when you start to dream about good things that you should start to worry.

The Man: You have to keep carrying the fire.
The Boy: What fire?
The Man: The fire inside you.

movie, movie review, apocalypse, drama, book