Z/Web

I wasn’t sure if I would like this or not, but I did. The story is slight: a mysterious man wanders a post-appocolyptic world hiding a book while a ruthless villain wants the book. The “mystery” of the book is extremely slight (and obvious), but what’s initially unclear is why the villain wants the book. There’s a twist at the end that’s gimmicky and too much on the nose for true brilliance, but it is interesting. Overall, the film’s more about atmosphere than story, and that’s fine. This is a film about visual style, and in that role it succeeds. I loved the style: from the terrific action sequences to the look of the future world, it worked for me. The opening sequence was amazing: a snowy wood, panning across the ground, we come across an open revolver. As we slowly pan across that we come to an open hand, and eventually a dead body. Then a hairless cat approaches the body, obviously starving, and begins to gnaw on the leg. We continue to pan to the right, eventually seeing a strange astronaut-like figure in some sort of radiation garb. As we slowly zoom closer, we realize the figure is prone and there is a deadly metal-tipped arrow pointing right at the camera. It is our hero, and he has set a trap to catch himself some cat meat. Wow: obviously not our world, and sets up much of the story without a word. Late in the film it at times is little more than an action flick, and I wish it had more story depth, but overall it’s a fun, stylish “what if” film, and worth seeing if you like the genre. I liked the revelation about the book, though it was slightly cliche and predictable.