StyleSk8r
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
tsquaring
For those of you that thought this might be a biblical based show, sorry it's not. Unless you want to call it "Before Armageddon". That being said, it does give a glimpse into what could easily happen when society breaks down after a disaster of some sort. If you're just getting in to "prepping" this movie might be good for that spouse that only tolerates your activity.This story shows a small family that survives despite doing things that they should have known better. Mostly led by the husband that does just enough right or gets lucky. The son that would rather die, makes it to see his father's extremes for their survival.This movie could have been a mini series had they wanted to cover more of the subject, but it may have been too depressing and boring to drag it out over time.How long could you survive in a situation like this one? Fortune favors the prepared. Are you prepared?
Theo Robertson
This was broadcast on Channel 5 in the UK to absolutely no fanfare . I caught it by mere chance flicking through the TV pages of the newspaper . It had an intriguing title and intriguing premise involving a bout of super flu effectively destroying civilization . Sounds a bit like the recent remake of Terry Nation's SURVIVORS done in a docudrama style with a hint of classic British apocalyptic fiction ala John Wydnham and John Christopher . What I didn't realise until it started was this was an American television show which led me to groan thinking I'd be watching a disease of the week TVM Thankfully I stayed if only down to the talking head interviews of historians and scientists speculating what could cause society to collapse inter cut with the dilemma of Californian couple Chris and Ellen Johnson and their teenage son . The saga of this trio burns a little too slowly to be totally successful but as the flu sweeps through the world and society slowly and painfully unravels it becomes more and more compelling . After a couple of weeks there's not enough people left alive to bury the dead . Infrastructure breaks down meaning electricity stops , water supplies stops and the Johnson's realise they have to leave LA if they want to survive . Unfortunately a large amount of survivors have the same idea and many of them realise that compassion has no function if they have to survive As the narrative continues it becomes increasingly compelling and depressing at the same type . There is a major spanner in the works and that is characterisation and massive and unlikely coincidences are introduced . In order to take a car Johnson jnr suddenly reveals he's able to hot-wire a car . A talking head policeman mentions how difficult it is for someone who has been conditioned not to take life to kill someone . Cut to Ellen Johnson saving her husband by shooting a bad guy . Perhaps the most ridiculous and unconvincing scene is where Chris gives an injured motorist an intravenous painkiller and a spare bottle of water - a commodity that the previous scene has bludgeoned the audience over the head that is in dire short supply . Then a few scenes later when the Johnson's are literally at death's door they are rescued by the motorist they saved ! This stops AA being as good as it should have been because there's a strong element of cheating going on and the Johnson's are very obvious literary devices rather than real people . That said it's unusual and refreshing to watch an apocalyptic drama from the States that is so downbeat . It doesn't have the depressing and shocking nature of the BBC docudrama of THREADS but in its own way it's a very effective speculative drama
Eradan
"After Armageddon" is a docudrama about a typical, modern family in L.A. trying to survive the aftermath of a flu pandemic that kills about half the people in North America, triggering a societal meltdown. It runs 100 minutes, and is structured as about 75% drama and 25% interviews with various experts on the threats the family are facing. The most notable of these experts is Prof. Joseph A. Tainter, author of "The Collapse of Complex Societies", a widely-respected study of social breakdowns in history.The main characters of AA are classic sheeple: Dorky paramedic Chris Johnson, his real-estate agent wife Ellen, and their whiny brat son. Chris is a good man who really steps up under stress, but he's a very conservative thinker who is clueless about the catastrophe overtaking his world. Ellen is a little faster on the uptake, but she's also emotionally unstable. Under stress, she's prone to hysteria and depression. Their son starts out as a bit of a brat and just gets whinier as things get worse. All of this would be disastrous for AA's credibility, if it wasn't obvious the characters were deliberately written as people totally unprepared, mentally and emotionally, for what is about to happen.An example of this is the Johnson's experience with firearms during the course of the story. Like 30-40% of American households, the Johnsons own no weapons whatsoever. This means that when law and order breaks down, they immediately morph into The Other White Meat. They loot a revolver from the car of a plague victim, but lose it the first time they have to use it. Ellen gets upset after shooting some goblin, drops the gun, and Chris, in his rush to comfort her, FORGETS to pick it up again. Later he yanks a shotgun out of the hands of some kid who's threatening Uberbrat, but he doesn't keep it. The movie never explains why he doesn't keep the shotty, which for me was the one place where the plot went off the rails. Not having a gun to begin with, and then losing their first one, I could believe because it fit the profile of the characters. But to not hold on to the next gun they luck into, like it was life itself, that was simply ridiculous. I mean, nobody could be that clueless....AA's biggest weakness are the three main actors. Rob Hartz, Katherine Cameron, and whoever plays Uberbrat are the kind of actors you would call competent if you were being generous and mediocre if you weren't. They're simply not strong enough to carry the story by themselves. The guys who play the Trader and the Sheriff are good but they're only on screen for about two minutes each.In spite of the weak cast, I found AA worth watching. I personally give AA a rating of eight on the IMDb scale. I think anyone who is into survivalism, or simply a fan of the PA genre, will find it worth two hours of their time. The movie is strongly reminiscent of McLachlan's superb, "The Trigger Effect" of 1996. Anybody who loved TTE will definitely like "After Armageddon".
