The Road

Having not read the book " The Road" I cannot comment fully on how well the adaption has worked but i shall start by saying if you have not read Cormac McCarthy’s novel then the film will leave you with a feeling of emptyness which can only be filled by reading the book. I have read several reviews on The Road and they all say that the film concentrates on more shocking aspects of the book.

I shall not give away any spoilers so there is no need to worry but I shall point out that the film is hard hitting in that it left me feeling slightly emotional. I only shed the one tear that I do to most sad films (unlike The Green Mile which left me a blubbering mess, and to this day I refuse to watch with the opposite sex in fear of crying more than they will) the end of the film was not as hard hitting as some of the moments throughout and Viggo Mortensens performance was absolutely outstanding. He had me engrossed and I felt his pain and understood his feelings towards his son Kodi Smit - McPhee who was equally as good I have to say. For his age he was captivating and engrossing, also Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce both portray excellent characters. The Old man and the Veteran both came across just as strong as the other characters in the film

The film also pulls off the whole “Post apocalyptic feel" extremely well. From the barren wastelands to the cannibal hideouts (yes I said cannibal) feel and look just like you would imagine although i hope you would not spend to much time thinking about cannibalism....sicko.

Though the plot sounds like something out of a horror film, the real power of “The Road” is found in the poignant and gut-wrenching meditation on the power of a parent’s love. Mortensen once again steps up to the plate and earns that praise, giving us a Man who is half-crazed from love for his son, the loss of his Wife and the burden of waking up everyday to hell just to make sure that breath stays flowing through his son’s body. The film quickly forces you to understand that this is a world where the most important lesson a father has to teach his son is how to properly blow his brains out if cornered by cannibals. Mortensen attacks these chilling moments with all the genuine concern of a parent who truly wants the best for their child, making such moments all the more terrible.


Anyway. I am not too good at this hole “Blog" thing but I enjoy it so if you read! I thank you and I suggest you pick up the Book and then watch the film as Viggo Mortensens performance absolutely blew me away. Who knew Aragon could not also slay orcs but shoot a flare gun pretty well!

I give the road 4/5