The most awesome aspect of post-apocalyptic films is that you never know quite what you’re going to get. There are so many options within the genre, it’s almost like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet. Are you going to get zombies, or mutants, or something unheard of? Was the apocalyptic event caused by a virus, or an EMP, or a nuclear devastation? Are the survivors of the PA event hostile, slaves, diseased, or simply desperate? Regardless of the individual components, many of the PA films I’ve seen over the years have been first-rate and entertaining. THE COLLAPSED adds to this long list, as an enjoyable and thrilling trek into the genre.
If you are not familiar with THE COLLAPSED, here is the plot synopsis courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment:
In the wake of the end of the world, a family of four desperately tries to survive. Their goal: escaping the city and traveling to the rural community they once called home. As the constant threat of a violent death forces them to stay as far away from civilization as possible, they take to the forest, only to discover the danger posed by other survivors may be the least of their worries.
THE COLLAPSED is not a perfect film but it is entertaining and very well done, not to mention it showcases the extreme creative talents of director Justin McConnell. There are many facets of this film that I absolutely love, but there are a couple of flaws that stand out to me as well.
The film is shot very well, almost on a professional level. I have to admit that the cinematography is one of the best aspects of the film. I also enjoy how the film is edited as well. These two attributes together provided a large portion of my enjoyment for the film.
The acting is pretty good and the special effects (what few there are) look nice as well. There’s a particularly gruesome gunshot wound towards the end, where a young man gets shot in the shin; the effects are excellent and gut-wrenching, a true testament to PA particulars.
The story of THE COLLAPSED is where I start to have a couple of issues. It is unique for the most part, but some of it feels as if it were added as an afterthought. Specifically, there’s a twist at the end I didn’t see coming...but I don’t feel like it works for some reason. The whole film seems based on the twist, so when it happened, I didn’t quite know what to think for a few minutes. Then I started analyzing it and came to the conclusion that it’s not very feasible and therefore my enjoyment started to drop off.
Still, even taking that into consideration, THE COLLAPSED is entertaining and definitely worth watching. If anything, you should check it out just to see if I’m crazy or not about the twist. If you get a chance to watch it, jump back here so we can discuss.