Le dernier voyage

Plot has more holes than swiss cheese. A waste of time.

In the hands of a better writer this could've been a more exciting movie, instead we get a road trip to nowhere crossed with elements of No Country For Old Men, Mad Max and The Professional. For a society that appears to be in its last few days it's hard to reconcile having a news/DJ play the role of info-dumper and why France seems to look like Montana.

A weak attempt at a family tragedy backstory doesn't give weight to the conflict between the protagonist and antagonist, so the film plods on to its end with only a couple of respites that generate any interest. Jean Reno is wasted in a nothingburger role. The female character simply isn't interesting nor believable.

The Metal Hurlant influence was clearly present in places; a few bits reminded me of comics by Druillet and Moebius/Jean Gerard but nothing special.

"The Last Journey of Paul W. R." is set in a post-apocalyptic world on the brink of destruction as the "Red Moon," a massive celestial body, is about to collide with Earth. There's only one man who can save the planet by piloting a rocket loaded with nuclear bombs into this planet-sized object. But just days before the mission, the chosen man, Paul W. R., goes missing.

Visually, this film is stunning, especially considering its modest budget. The director used the budget wisely, creating breathtaking scenes with a unique artistic touch. The blend of futuristic technology and hyperrealistic visuals makes the movie look impressive without feeling cheap at any point.

The main cast includes four key characters: Paul, who's supposed to carry out the mission but decides to run away; his brother, who has always been in Paul's shadow; their eccentric father, who is responsible for the mission and obsessed with destroying the Red Moon; and young Elma, a girl from a broken family who befriends Paul and helps him escape. Both Paul and Elma share a common bond of growing up without their mothers.

The film focuses on the growing friendship between Paul and Elma and the tension between Paul and his brother, who is chasing them. Both brothers have some paranormal abilities. Paul's visions give him glimpses of the future, hinting that something might be off with the mission. Meanwhile, his brother uses his powers destructively.

At its core, the movie explores people trying to deal with the challenges of dysfunctional families and the need to mature, regardless of their age. The characters are trying to escape from their past, but they're forced to face reality, even with the looming cosmic threat. It's a story about friendship, trust, and sacrifice.

Although the movie isn't fast-paced, it's relatively short, and the time passes quickly. I never felt bored and was eager to see how things would unfold. While the ending was a bit predictable, it was still satisfying. I'd recommend this film to sci-fi fans.

One extra star for visual effects. That's essentially it.

You get the feeling french film makers wanted to make an American road trip movie with pseudo action-based sci-fi plot. Except why would we want French cinema to copy American cinema? This is neither a road movie, nor an action-based sci-fi film. It's just a cheap imitation, that fails to entertain in absolutely every way. Filled with mindless clichés and the likes.

I couldn't finish this.

Hugo Becker and Jean Reno are very good actors. But I didn't like this movie at all. The movie was a TV movie for children aged 8-12. You won't lose anything if you don't watch it.