E.M.P.: 333 Days

Okay, this family affair, in which all members of the Ferreri family seem to participate, is not the most complicated apocalyptic movie ever. It's fairly straightforward in a sense. It has no great surprises. Yet, the simple determination of of the lead character is appealing. It is well acted, but there are no histrionics. That makes it more emotional, not less. Overall it grew on me as it went along. I liked it more and more.

Not slow, 60 seconds into the film and there are questions presented that the viewer will be looking for answers to. It's well produced. Never met any of the production crew and I'm not one of the cast as other reviewers are suggesting. Thinking about possible survival needs in America is far from most folks minds, but very near in 3rd world countries. EMP ? Go ahead and laugh, till it one happens. . An economic collapse or weather related disaster is a real possible and historically proven possibility. SO, having something prepared, or preparing people, is not counter productive. I liked the journal entry that revealed some of the thoughts that are hard to author on screen.

I was not expecting such a low-budget production when I selected the movie on Amazon Prime Video, and almost turned it off after about 15 minutes. That being said, I did appreciate the filmmakers' decision to focus on the main character's experiences and no "fluff" which would have been beyond budget. Chaotic events were handled by sounds rather than a bunch of extras, but the few times this technique was used I was expecting to see SOMETHING. A few scenes with lack of visuals did make them feel very low budget. They ended up being a reminder of this and did detract a bit from the film's flow. The rural setting lent itself perfectly to minimizing the need for unnecessary human contact and I found it completely believable; the filmmakers clearly borrowed from The Walking Dead's clever use of isolated sections of rural spaces to film a lot of scenes without much cost or chance of interruption. The father-daughter flashbacks were also very well used and demonstrated a realistic aspect of preparedness without delving into fanatical behavior. Naimh was given just enough pre-event training and assistance to help her when she needed it.

Film length was just about right, with the post-event day count helping break it into manageable chunks. Character development was almost non-existent other than the lead. It would have been nice to get a better sense of Will and maybe even the creepy guys.

The best low-budget films are the ones that allow the viewer to enjoy the story and forget/not realize they are missing anything. EMP: 333 Days nearly pulls that off. Wonderful acting from the young Ms. Ferreri in the lead role.

For a movie that was made for $6500 it is well worth it hour and a half

Nice work on an amazingly meager budget! Under $10K to produce! Yes, it has its shortcomings but all in all the team should be quite proud of their work! The Fererri girl should stick with her craft and be allowed to mature in her acting.