These Final Hours (2013)

These Final Hours (2013) - Review

I love surprises like this.

This is a small budget Australian movie about an end-of-the-world story. A large asteroid impact somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean results in an extinction level wave of destruction making its way across the world. Australia has several hours before it is completely destroyed. People there go bat shit crazy, and amongst the chaos, a self-obsessed man decides to meet the end in an end-of-the-world party but along the way, he finds a little girl and decides to help her, changing him in the process.

Nathan Phillips, the lead, did a great job as this lost man in this unreal situation, trying to find an easy way to let it all go and meet the end. The little girl was also really good as lost child trying to get to her father and they both had a nice relationship that grew over the course of the movie and makes you care about both of them.

The movie has a somber and hopeless feel/look and the opening scene sets it perfectly. The accompanying score is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. The main theme plays in different variations in couple other scenes, particularly the ending, and whenever it's on, it makes the scene so much more engrossing. Composer Cornel Wilczek really did a great job with it.

Now I was not expecting this movie to move me the way it did, in certain scenes. There are a couple of them sprinkled throughout and they were just great.

My issues with the film is that the party part of the movie bogged it down for me because it went on for too long IMO and some of the acting there was either too over the top by supporting cast or just not that good.

All in all, a great end of the world story with an interesting premise, strong lead performances and beautiful score. Definitely a must watch.

8/10

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