Summary
A couple, played by Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge, and their daughter, played by Kristen Cui, must choose between sacrificing one of their own, or letting the world burn.
I think this coupled with Servant really does seem to suggest that M. Night Shyamalan is back on top form and hopefully this can last for at least a few more projects. Admittedly I did think a similar thing when Split came out and then he released Glass and Old so what do I know maybe another slump is just around the corner.
I thought the best thing about this film was the premise. For a lot of the film you don’t know if what the dooms day people are saying is true, but as the film progresses and we see that it is and that the magnitude of the destruction is massive, this then shifts the film into being a thought experiment in ethics. I really enjoyed the themes and ideas Shyamalan tried to explore here and I thought that unlike Old this film has some real depths to it.
Groff and Aldridge made for a very believable couple, and thanks to the well-used flashbacks you do end up caring about them as a couple as well. This is very important as the emotional core of the film comes down to whether you could lose the love of your life to save the planet and that needs to hit emotionally in the film, which I can safely say it does. I thought the supporting cast of the dooms day preventers were also good, if a little underdeveloped, Dave Bautista’s Lenard gets the most attention on that front and he does give a solid performance though I would say he isn’t given much to work with.
Overall, M. Night Shyamalan’s best film in years.
4.5/5
Pros.
The performances
The emotion
The premise and what they do with it
The ending
It is well paced and maintains its tension throughout
Cons.
The supporting cast are a little wasted as their characters are underdeveloped
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Another Millennial Reviewer 