Ever Since the World Ended

This is an interesting experiment, but just an experiment,and in no way ready for prime time. What bothered me most(and there were a lot of things that bothered me) was the absolute failure of imagination. Here, Calum Grant, the writer of this "the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it" scenario, can't let go of the world that has just ended; the survivors (as he imagines them) carry on as if they are in some self-actualization collective. It is SO "west coast" that it becomes a laughable re-affirmation (and this crowd "re-affirms" every five seconds) of every San Francisco stereotype I've ever seen. They don't have to show the Golden Gate bridge, one knows after the first ten minutes of dialogue where this is set. I give credit, as I always do, to the people who had the determination (if not the talent)to get this project off the ground and finished. However, if these yappy, later-day hippies are all that's left of civilization I'd be tempted to shoot myself...no, wait...I'd shoot them first.

Nothing great, but this interesting faux documentary of a future 12 years after a virus kills offs most of the population does have some intriguing ideas and is done in total sincerity without an ounce of the silliness that usually accompany films of this nature. It all takes place in San Francisco where there are only 186 people left alive and the most interesting parts to me were the careful and civilized planning of procreation for the future and the opinions of the young who never experienced the world that we know and their ideas and interpretations of just what we were, how we behaved and what we did as a society. The acting is realistic by just about everyone and this is obviously cheaply made, but nevertheless, it is a slightly unusual experience that is helped by its short length.

"Ever Since the World Ended" doesn't illuminate itself with flashing bulbs and overly artistic camera work, nor does the film degrade itself by venturing into the over-dramatic and quasi-philosophic. Rather, the movie succeeds at what it intends to be: realistic.

The comparison between older characters longing for the pre-plague past and younger characters acknowledging cynicism for the materialistic life we find ourselves in now provides an interesting scenario in itself. Where the film truly shines is during the small and almost subtle moments of humanity: shots of San Francisco completely devoid of activity and life. Simple footage of an area known for its population suddenly vacant make for simple yet profound imagery; to actually imagine such a transformation is, in itself, rather difficult.

Additionally, any viewer with any sort of historic appreciation can participate in the following scenario: Even now, people marvel at the innovations, art, engineering and lifestyles of ancient civilizations. Perhaps inadvertently, "Ever Since the World Ended" sets its future generations up with this scenario. What existed before was a civilization of skyscrapers and vivid imagery; what exists now (in the film) is a world of close-knit personalization and a general worldly-innocence. Although generations immediately following the events in the film would probably not 'appreciate' (for lack of a better term), the past that was, the generations in the future conceivably would (like we do today with the Greeks, Egyptians, and so on).

Although this movie lacks a certain flash that certain film-goers demand, it still provides an interesting view into the hypothetical future of mankind. Post-apocalyptical stories may not be uncommon, but certain stories seem more tangible than others; this is one of them.

The premise for this film is great: What would it be like to be part of a community of fewer than 200 people inhabiting the deserted remains of San Fransisco some years after a global pandemic? Unfortunately, the film totally fails to deliver on the premise. In such a world, one would expect the commonplace and the catastrophic to coexist, as they do in this film; it's just that the commonplace would almost certainly be nothing like that depicted here. The filmmakers seem to think that 12 years after the loss of 99% of the human population, a major city would somehow be magically preserved intact and undamaged, just as if it really were a quiet Sunday morning, which is presumably when some of the establishing shots were taken. More likely, San Francisco and practically every other city or town would be a burned-out ruin. The survivors' struggles would be quite different and much more in deadly earnest than is shown here. Anyone who is more interested in my extrapolation of what life would be like 12 years "since the world ended" may refer to my post in the message boards, since that would be too long to post here and since most of the other reviewers have contributed their quite legitimate surmises about how this imagined world really should look. If you're a first-year film-school student, this endeavor might be an interesting subject for critique; otherwise, stick with "The Road Warrior."

The only thing I enjoyed about this movie was the concept. I was hooked by the cover art and the synopsis on the back of the DVD and so I rented it. I was very disappointed in the low budget quality and poor acting. I could have made a better movie using my old mini-DV camera. If "B" quality doesn't bother, perhaps you could get into this. I can think of hundreds of cool ideas to take this idea - the idea that only 180 something people are left on the planet. Think of the infrastructure - buildings, roads....THINGS, you could pillage from billions of abandoned buildings! The film seemed to barely touch on some of the essentials you'd be forced to deal with right away, like how to sustain your food and shelter. Let's hope maybe a bigger studio or something buys the rights to this story.