Review of The Road (2009) by R.ramdom — 09 Jan 2010

Loving the book was easy -it was poetic, stark, brutal and uncomprimising. Thinking of yourself without heat or electricity for 2 weeks can give you just a taste of what it would be to survive in 60% of North America in the face of an energy catastrophe, let alone of a nuclear scale or massive environmental rupture.

But what did this movie lack that reduced empathy or trivialized the book? What could have made it the celluloid equal? The CGI was adequate and not over-bearing. The score was bleak in all the places.

The casting of Theron and the boy was inspired as they literally look to be of the same DNA - that was uncanny. The characters that were scattered through out the movie were barely recognizable, but were.

And I never forgot (nor was allowed to forget), for one instant, that they loved the book too and fought with their agents for those parts. I'll tell you what I think it was. The Road was empty. As a book you never saw the face of the man or the boy: they were as elemental and tortured as their environs.

Not that the casting wasn't inspired but I'll be damned if I want the Returning Lord of All Rings as my 'Man', or a 'monster' or moll such as Charlize as the Woman. This is one movie that required unknown actors to lend the vehicle it's providence and impact, randomness and believability.

It was that simple. The Road's universal message of paternal love is washed away and marred by Hollywood and it's agents. Viggo and Guy and Duvall and Theron were all amazing, but that is beside the point.

In order to display the true and majestic truths and magnitude of the loss portayed in this adaptation, these had to be players you could not associate with any other plot. It's that simple. Not that Viggo didn't method un-wash, and unshave himself or didn't stink like a bear but this movie needed a.

.. unknown face to portray a fearsome and unknown future.