After the Dawn

I tried watching it 3 times and fell asleep each time watching it because I was very well aware that I was watching a low budget film by a wannabe Hollywood film director. I thought it was very sweet of the director to cast his then girlfriend Nicole (now wife) as the lead role and not to mention that the acting was terrible. If the world needs another Uwe Boll it's definitely Mitchell Jones. The make up looked fake. The wardrobe could have been better but what do you expect from a two dollar budget of a film? Also I've seen other low budget films that had great actors and set crew but when you're paid in pepperoni pizza that's what you can expect.

I was suffering from insomnia, so I didn't care what I was going to watch, anything to get me asleep. Well this movie could not even accomplish that. It kept me awake while I was trying to find one single good thing about it but... nothing! Just another piece of trash that just a delusional person embedded probably in this failure would try to pass it as good. If you watch this movie and you go past the first 30 minutes, (I gave it a shot for that long) as I was saying; if you like this movie... you really need a life. I didn't want to go on and on about this awful "movie" but the requirement is ten lines, so let's get to it. On acting, pretend that you are directing your ten year old kid when all he really wants to do is watch cartoons or play online games, the main "actress" seems to be suffering from a huge hangover, the kid, oh, I just mentioned above! Well if you really want to watch a movie with a meaningful plot and ending, here goes my recommendation: "The Machinist" with Christian Bale… Is it ten lines now?

After sitting through the first five minutes of this sad waste of catering, you'll know exactly how the producer pitch meeting went:

"Shelby, baby, it's a no-brainer. It's Cormack McCarthy's 'The Road,' but with zombies. And we have a woman kicking zombie ass."

"Zombie's schmombies. Just make sure there's a kid. I'm not paying for hotels, so no cast or crew from outside of Wisconsin. And gimme 90 minutes or I'm puttin' you on wrestlin' pictures. Morty, send the next clowns in."

And lucky us, we get to dine on a smorgasbord of left-over cinematic entrails from all-to-familiar end-of-the-world movies. At the same time, we get to scratch our heads over riddles such as:

• Why does Cassie - played by an American actress, and presumably American because her brother (in flashbacks) is American - have a British accent?

• How is Cassie able to fight off fast-moving undead without ninja powers?

• How is it that in a post-apocalyptic world, where food is scarce, everyone - from zombies to the orphan kid - look like they've had IVs of extra-lardy gravy in their arms for the last six years?

Sadly, these questions must stay on hold, as we listen to Cassie's over-wrought internal monologue - which is no substitute for the spare, bleak words we hear from Viggo Mortenson in The Road. It's like we're being subjected to the diary kept for her therapy sessions. Meantime, the only dialog comes from the occasional "quirky" characters in the post-apocalyptic landscape, as well as the Boy's wooden delivery of pseudo-profundities well beyond his purported years.

I'd like to have enjoyed the awfulness of this movie - because it truly is a awful - but the utterly lazy film-making not only suck ideas from better film makers, but also the fun out of the viewing.

Apocalyptic films are popular right now but there's several things about "After The Dawn" that separates it from all the rest. The film focuses on Cassie, a survival of a horrific chemical attack that has left many dead and many others infected. As she travels alone in hopes of finding more people like her and as well as finding her brother and boyfriend alive she stumbles upon a little boy who she takes with her.

After watching the entire film I realized this was something special but I also knew that if I went into plot details here I would only ruin the film for those that are waiting to see it when it comes to DVD on 9/25 so I'm going to stay clear of any spoilers here. The film is a slow burn that might not be for everyone, it's more a character-driven drama with suspense and horror mixed in. The story is played out in segments which are separated by the seasons starting with winter. There is also a good amount of flashbacks used so you get the back story on Cassie and her life before which is very important in a film such as this. By the time the 3rd act comes around the film takes on a new twist, it's a turn of events I never seen coming.

Director, Mitchel A. Jones and Writer, Nicoel Kruex have combined to bring you an apocalyptic thriller that is both dramatic and thrilling. As far as the acting goes the cast did a great job, Nicole Kruex who wrote the script did a great job playing Cassie and Tommy Propson is exceptional as the little boy she calls Jake. The rest of the supporting cast are all fantastic as well. Production wise the film looks great, the empty streets and wooded areas create the perfect sense of isolation and danger and it plays much bigger than it's budget might suggest.

"After The Dawn" is a unique film in it's genre that delivers with plenty of with characters you are immediately taken in by and care for, there's also drama, thrills and just the right amount of action. This is a thought-provoking thriller that will have you glued to the screen the entire time and it leaves you thinking about it long after it's over. Bravo to all involved in creating this gem. A clever, engaging film that I was blown away by. Make sure you bookmark the date on this film's release and be sure to pick it up.