“The Road,” based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy (“No Country for Old Men”), is a mixed bag. The film follows a Man (Viggo Mortensen) and his boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they attempt to survive the aftermath of an apocalyptic event. But, don’t go in expecting “2012.” “The Road” is a much obscurer, less populist film than Roland Emerich’s latest disaster fest. However, surprisingly, the action sequences in the “The Road” work much better than the dramatic scenes. The themes of the morality of survival resonate better in moments of tense conflict, rather than in scenes of emotionally charged drama. And while Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee work well with each other, the latter is far too whiney. The film also contains many flashbacks, which stall the narrative and try too hard to explain the Man’s current situation. These flashbacks not only rob the film of its universality, but also forces emotion on to scenes through overly sentimental music.
Thus, “The Road,” although beautifully filmed and quite ambitious, failed to resonate for me. I left the theater feeling dissatisfied.
C+
Have you seen “The Road?” Share your thoughts in the comments.
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