End of the Road

This film was a rather pleasant surprise. I watched it online via Amazon, but would love to get my hands on a copy of the DVD, as I feel this is a film worth owning.

I watched this film initially because of the cast, and they didn't disappoint. The characters were compelling and believable with appropriate reactions to their scenarios.

While the overall acting was strong, it was the clever writing and story that kept me hooked. The ending has a major twist that I didn't see coming - and this is coming from a person who can typically guess the entire plot within ten minutes of a film. It is more a comedy than a horror to me, but there's definitely a few scenes with intensity and 'shocks'. Well worth the watch!

End of the Road is a thrilling, fun-filled film with a twisted plot that appropriately places it beside films such as The Game, Sixth Sense, and Fight Club. Like these films, End of the Road is a movie that should be watched once for the thrill of its revelations, and then multiple times to experience anew the intricate way it was crafted to excite and deceive. The cinematic views brilliantly depict the isolated location while still drawing you in with their majesty. A comfortable cabin invites you to stay and experience the suspense and unease as the plot unravels. Once you're settled, the remote setting, rusted ranch machinery and weather-worn abandoned buildings create a perfect backdrop for the restless spirits to encroach on the non-believers. The cast is a great mix of industry heavy-hitters and talented newcomers. Doug Jones brings great character strength to the film, and this time with his own expressive face! Michael Dorn does well in a familiar style, and yet only serves up the first minor paradigm shift of this marvelously meandering movie. Robert Picardo is well cast, his easy-then-eerie presence a perfect herald to an uneasy feeling that our hero may have been misled. The rest of the cast are brilliant in strength and subtlety, but don't get too attached to anyone… the danger is palpable almost from the very beginning. Some consideration has to be given to production level, script, and range of acting ability in this movie. These elements are of reduced impact compared to the larger budget movies it resembles. Even so, what this film does as well as it could with a lower cost, it does with heart. The public has been fed candied special effects, overacted comedy, and needless violence for a long time. While the mobs might feel this movie is not ready for the big screen, neither would they tolerate a classic like North by Northwest - if it weren't for Alfred Hitchcock's name on the poster. This creation has to be experienced in its entirety to be truly appreciated. It may suffice to say that the viewer will only understand the depth of the movie if they suspend judgment until the credits are about to roll. There's no other way to experience the full range of emotions that it can bring. The mystery builds without apology throughout the film and yet it still delivers an ending with confident resolve. Sit on the edge of your seat, drink in the danger, and hang on for the suspense to end in surprise... at the End of the Road!

The concept for this movie was a good one. Unfortunately the acting fell flat. But that's not the worse part. Acting in a movie like this isn't expected to be great. The worst part was the effects. They were just terrible. Not just low-budget "doing the best they can with what they have" terrible, but carelessly terrible. Even simple things like blood sprays were just done wrong.

If I can rate this 0 stars I would! No wonder I've never seen these actors in anything else. Awful awful awful!

Even the Star Trek talent in this movie couldn't save it. The writing is so very poor as is the delivery of the lines. I mean they're trying hard, maybe a little too hard. The lines are delivered without any conviction or with an over-the-top conviction. Music is overdone and often too loud for the dialog. It's just bad on every level. Save your self the time, skip it and find something else to watch.