These Final Hours (2015)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Nathan Phillips, Angourie Rice, Jessica De Gouw
Directed by Zak Hilditch
If the idea of an impending apocalypse doesn’t put enough thoughts in your head about survival, the ability to sustain, and how you would build upon a future that potentially couldn’t be there, then how about sticking this one in your think tank: What if it was a foregone conclusion that no one would survive a cataclysmic event, and you now were left to wonder what you’d do with your remaining time on the planet?
Such questions are better left to fend on the fly, and in director Zak Hilditch’s end-of-the-world dramatic-thriller These Final Hours, such a horrendous prophecy is left to be filled in a biblical fashion, and the masses are simply waiting to be eradicated. This is one of the more powerful films I’ve checked out in ages – it’s depressing, it’s thought-provoking, and it sticks with you long after it’s come to a conclusion.
The events follow the final 12 hours in Australia after an apocalyptic event has occurred, wiping out a large portion of the globe, and the countdown is on. For one man named James (Phillips), he’s going to go out like a rock star: Partying and procreating are the must-dos on his short-termed bucket list. As the movie opens, we see James and his “other” girlfriend (De Gouw) spending their final moments together before she tells him to head to his friend’s blowout party and live the last hours of his life in pure ecstasy.
So, off James goes, boozed and drugged-up and ready to commit himself to the last bash he’ll ever attend–that is, until he drives past a small girl being taken by force into a home by two men, whose last actions are apparently high on the reprehensible scale. Torn between fleeing or helping, he rescues young Rose (Rice), and the two opt to travel together to find either her or his relatives.
Along the way, their efforts at times prove fruitless, which certainly adds to the bleakness factor, coming across many poor souls who have either checked out or are waiting to be decimated by that tsunami of fire that will come rolling onshore very shortly. There are some truly effectual performances here by a few bit players, and it just brings more flavor to this incredibly tasty presentation. From James’ overly-possessive girlfriend to a former police officer that has given up hope, right down to a delusional partygoer who swears that Rose is her lost child, you’ll cringe, you’ll surely sympathize, but more than likely, you’ll keep your eyes locked on the screen until the bitter end.
This review is fairly short in words; however, if I typed everything I saw or felt during the movie, I’d be typing until the end of days myself. The film looks simply brilliant with numerous shots of a red-hazed sky over the Australian borderlines, signifying an imminent impact of colossal proportions.
Phillips gives his all in a display that showcases a multitude of emotions, and they all are stellar in appearance – he’s come a long way from Wolf Creek and is poised to make a huge mark in the business shortly, I believe. If there were any minuses to speak of here, it would be the somewhat long stretches of downtime; yet, they only add to the apprehension that the characters are feeling while waiting out their remaining moments, bringing the tension directly toward your screen. This one’s simply got to be seen and is a film that I’ll definitely be checking out again.
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Film
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