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The first thing that came straight into my mind about The Road was (perhaps like most people who want to watch it) "the Into The Wild of 2009" but when one watches it, it is pretty easy to figure out that it really wasn't! They are both different films as you watch both of them. I mean, yeah there were similarities like the obvious: living in like the wild and trying to survive but as far as the characters and their pasts etc were totally different! The Road is a very suspenseful thrill-ride surprisingly and the fact that it involved cannibalism and there was a boy involved, it made it pretty damn terrifying to watch on occasions. It was indeed a very emotional story but there are two problems that I had with it and that was nothing really changed in the story. "Stuggling to survive" as said in the synopsis was pretty much the whole film. I mean, anybody can write a novel like that because it is so basic and so simple. The second problem was how did America become like that? Like where is the history of what has been happening? Was mankind on the brink of extinction? Power problems? What? Nevertheless, was still gripping despite that.
Well, the plot is just pretty much this: a man and his young son try to survive in post-apocalyptic America. The acting was just terrific from EVERYBODY in this film! One serious question: why the fuck was Viggo Mortensen not nominated for Best Leading Actor?! He totally deserved it! Should've been him instead of Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker. Obviously, everyone knows him best from the legendary Lord Of The Rings trilogy but The Road is a film from him that should not be missed! Kodi Smit-McPhee made a fantastic debut too as the young son. Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce and Charlize Theron make great appearances too.
I had not even heard of Australian director John Hillcoat until The Road's release and I must say that he did do a great job! I found the direction very similar to how Alfonso Caurón directed Children Of Men in 2006 like with the post-apocalyptic environment and the violence between everyone. Just like Into The Wild, The Road is another film about survival and adventure that was robbed off Academy Award nominations. It should have been nominated for Best Leading Actor (Viggo Mortensen), Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Make-Up but shockingly, it wasn't nominated for any of them! The best it got was a Best Cinematography nomination at the BAFTA's!
Overall, The Road is a heartbreaking but beautifully crafted film that I really enjoyed. It takes you on a road of violence, bravery and love. Recommended!
8/10
