8 reviews
Two hapless British geeks wake up in New York City only to find that the entire human race has vanished. But as they explore the seemingly empty world before them, Ben and Stephen soon realize they are not alone after all.
The worst thing about this movie is the terrible title. Geez, who came up with that? It sounds stupid, and would scare me off if I was wandering through a video store. This is actually a rather fun movie.
We get a nice geek quote early on: "This is like 'I Am Legend'. Maybe we'll meet Will Smith and can ask him why he made 'After Earth'." And then a bit later: "They shouldn't have monsters in a 3-star hotel. We should leave a comment on their website." And that goes on for another hour.
There will be an inevitable comparison to "Shaun of the Dead", as this is two bumbling Brits at the end of the world. And, sure enough, fans of one will be fans of the other. This is not as good, of course, but not terrible either. Definitely worth picking up.
The worst thing about this movie is the terrible title. Geez, who came up with that? It sounds stupid, and would scare me off if I was wandering through a video store. This is actually a rather fun movie.
We get a nice geek quote early on: "This is like 'I Am Legend'. Maybe we'll meet Will Smith and can ask him why he made 'After Earth'." And then a bit later: "They shouldn't have monsters in a 3-star hotel. We should leave a comment on their website." And that goes on for another hour.
There will be an inevitable comparison to "Shaun of the Dead", as this is two bumbling Brits at the end of the world. And, sure enough, fans of one will be fans of the other. This is not as good, of course, but not terrible either. Definitely worth picking up.
SOS is a nerdy, absurdist comedy.
I had the impression the writers were fans of Douglas Adams' "Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe" there are plenty of silly one liners scattered throughout the story along with some dry humour. I personally never had any real laugh out loud moments but a few giggles to myself. The style of humour is definitely closer in style to the Nick Frost/Simon Pegg "Cornetto Trilogy" movies than that of the American "Epic Movie" or "Scary Movie". I'd say SOS was better than any of the "Movie" movies, but definitely not as good as "Shaun of the Dead".
This movie had a low budget and it was apparent with the level of special effects: think "indie film" rather than "Star Wars" or even "SyFy channel" here. That being said, the video, sound, and direction were all well done - this didn't look or sound like a youtube amateur project, it just suffered from low budget visual effects and props, but that can be forgivable in a comedy.
The plot isn't particularly engaging, it really plays out as just a series of acts. I actually watched this as a 4 part mini-series of 20 minute episodes and not as a full length movie. It seemed to suit that format better in my opinion. The pacing was a bit slow in parts, but didn't feel too stretched out.
Overall, it's a simple plot, some silly gags, low budget effects, and a bit of a "meh" ending. SOS isn't a movie I'd recommend unless you can see past the cheap visuals, or you can appreciate the nerdy humour. SOS is not a bad movie, it's just not a particularly good one.
I had the impression the writers were fans of Douglas Adams' "Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe" there are plenty of silly one liners scattered throughout the story along with some dry humour. I personally never had any real laugh out loud moments but a few giggles to myself. The style of humour is definitely closer in style to the Nick Frost/Simon Pegg "Cornetto Trilogy" movies than that of the American "Epic Movie" or "Scary Movie". I'd say SOS was better than any of the "Movie" movies, but definitely not as good as "Shaun of the Dead".
This movie had a low budget and it was apparent with the level of special effects: think "indie film" rather than "Star Wars" or even "SyFy channel" here. That being said, the video, sound, and direction were all well done - this didn't look or sound like a youtube amateur project, it just suffered from low budget visual effects and props, but that can be forgivable in a comedy.
The plot isn't particularly engaging, it really plays out as just a series of acts. I actually watched this as a 4 part mini-series of 20 minute episodes and not as a full length movie. It seemed to suit that format better in my opinion. The pacing was a bit slow in parts, but didn't feel too stretched out.
Overall, it's a simple plot, some silly gags, low budget effects, and a bit of a "meh" ending. SOS isn't a movie I'd recommend unless you can see past the cheap visuals, or you can appreciate the nerdy humour. SOS is not a bad movie, it's just not a particularly good one.
- Masquerade_Ball
- May 17, 2016
- Permalink
this one took me by surprise.. its really fun and a lot is going on all the time, its never dull and always has some new surprises..
the sense of isolation the whole atmosphere is done very well only downside is that it suffers from low quality image, obviously, because its low budget but thats not even a bad thing because it adds something genuine and after the first 5 minutes you'll forget about all that.
i would even go as far to say its one of the best 'all alone on earth' movies there is .. i really want to see more from the people who made this and i hope its low budget and funny as this.
give this one a chance you wont be disappointed.
the sense of isolation the whole atmosphere is done very well only downside is that it suffers from low quality image, obviously, because its low budget but thats not even a bad thing because it adds something genuine and after the first 5 minutes you'll forget about all that.
i would even go as far to say its one of the best 'all alone on earth' movies there is .. i really want to see more from the people who made this and i hope its low budget and funny as this.
give this one a chance you wont be disappointed.
- kljesta6464
- Feb 18, 2015
- Permalink
Ben and Stephen are British nerds visiting a sci-fi con in New York City. They wake up to find the city empty of people. The TV channels are all out and websites haven't been updated in a few hours.
The Quiet Earth (1985) is one of my favorite low budget sci-fi indies. It has a similar story but with vastly different tones and a different explanation. I do not like this movie's explanation. It feels like the story has a starting point and the ending pointing is only servicing the comedy. On the plus side, I really like Kill. She's a weird character and I appreciate her comedic side. There is a lot to like in this movie, but they really should work harder on the explanation.
The Quiet Earth (1985) is one of my favorite low budget sci-fi indies. It has a similar story but with vastly different tones and a different explanation. I do not like this movie's explanation. It feels like the story has a starting point and the ending pointing is only servicing the comedy. On the plus side, I really like Kill. She's a weird character and I appreciate her comedic side. There is a lot to like in this movie, but they really should work harder on the explanation.
- SnoopyStyle
- Dec 11, 2024
- Permalink
- nogodnomasters
- May 30, 2019
- Permalink
I love End-of-the-World movies; I didn't catch that this was a comedy or I probably would not have watched it.
But the comedy was sooo good, I laughed out loud. But it isn't quite ridiculous. It's almost believable, it's so well done, and then there are the goofy parts that still have a genuine twist - like the blue monster, which, if I were in this situation, is probably exactly what I would have named it.
I am not too critical of movies; I can enjoy almost any movie, but I do know good from bad acting, and even good independent films with the terrible sound make them difficult to watch. Here, the acting is well done. The filming and sound are much better than the average independent film.
The movie is great fun and really funny. Almost too short - I was sad to see it end! Tune in - you won't feel like you've wasted your time.
But the comedy was sooo good, I laughed out loud. But it isn't quite ridiculous. It's almost believable, it's so well done, and then there are the goofy parts that still have a genuine twist - like the blue monster, which, if I were in this situation, is probably exactly what I would have named it.
I am not too critical of movies; I can enjoy almost any movie, but I do know good from bad acting, and even good independent films with the terrible sound make them difficult to watch. Here, the acting is well done. The filming and sound are much better than the average independent film.
The movie is great fun and really funny. Almost too short - I was sad to see it end! Tune in - you won't feel like you've wasted your time.
- dlandis-88445
- Apr 24, 2023
- Permalink
- Woodyanders
- Jan 12, 2021
- Permalink