End of the World

Until End of the World, The Lost Future held that distinction, so there was proof that SyFy could make a good movie. Unfortunately, those good movies are too few, there are a handful of tolerable if not great ones but most of them are just awful to bottom of the barrel. End of the World is not one of the best movies I've ever seen, but I wasn't expecting that. I was hoping that once in a while SyFy would make something that was entertaining instead of being ineptly done in all areas. And I got that. The production values are so much more polished than what we usually see. I have seen one too many of their movies that look as though they were edited on bacon slicers completed with half-finished special effects. That was not the case with End of the World. The scenery fits with the tone of the movie very well and it is competently shot and directed. And of the special effects of any SyFy movie, End of the World's are by far and large the best. Watching the gore is like watching something like Spartacus, and for me it was not excessively used or too in-your-face. And this is one of those rare occurrences where we actually see a real explosion, mostly it is a cheaply rendered computer effect with SyFy, but not here and it is thrilling.

The scoring isn't much of a problem either, it doesn't come across as sluggish or generic. End of the World is one of the better written SyFy films too, whether it said anything telling or new or not doesn't matter when you're having fun rather than rolling your eyes in contempt. Instead of cheesy and awkward, the script was witty with some refreshing inside humour, and delivered strongly. Whereas many SyFy movies had the script as a major weak point, here it was what made End of the World fun to watch. The story admittedly is standard and one that we have seen the basic concept before, there are moments that are unbelievable(like with a video store still existing after all that had happened) and admittedly it did feel at times that it was more an excuse to string its many homages together. But for once it didn't feel predictable, it was zippily paced, didn't take itself too seriously despite the seriousness of the situation and the references/homages to movies- by admission having varying degrees of subtlety- and to Grunberg's Heroes character made for a standard concept made fresh. Subtlety may not have always been a strong suit, but I could not deny that these references were cleverly used and moved the story forward on the most part instead of bogging the film down.

End of the World's characters are not much different from the usual ones we see in a SyFy movie as we do see many of the SyFy disaster movie clichés. The difference is that there is an attempt to make them likable and we do care for their situation. The drama resonates with you without being cloying, there is some decent suspense amid the referencing and the scientific elements are thrilling(I never did worry too much about whether the science was poorly researched or not, there have been far more blatant instances around). End of the World is almost certainly the best acted SyFy movie, which is saying a lot. Not just that the performances are great, but they do make the dialogue believable at least and there is definite chemistry between them. Brad Dourif's screen time is not large, but he makes the most of it and is very enjoyable to watch. Caroline Cave is also good and sympathetic without feeling like a bookend and not much else. Neil Grayston was a pleasure to see on screen again, and he is very endearing and actually looks as though he cares about the situation his character is in. But Greg Grunberg does the best work here, one of few actors in a SyFy that blends comedy and drama perfectly and with a magnetic presence to boot.

All in all, a surprisingly good movie and the best SyFy film- The Lost Future will have to contend with a close second as of now- by a mile. 8/10 Bethany Cox

END OF THE WORLD is your usual bog-standard SyFy Channel disaster movie that perhaps feels even more generic than all the others put together. It's directed by the prolific Steven R. Monroe and written by Jason Bourque, who also directed his fair share of other numerous similar low-budget disaster movies.

The one thing END OF THE WORLD does differently is to self-reference other movies in the genre, sometimes from the same studio and sometimes better-known efforts. Brad Dourif plays the crazy old-timer who might just have the knowledge to tackle what's going on, and there's a rather ingenious clip from ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST utilised at one point, which was rather neatly done.

Otherwise it's business as usual, with a bunch of stock characters, failing actors, and unfunny humour. The CGI effects of the solar flare attacks are as non-impressive as ever, and the various disaster scenes lack the kind of oomph you'd expect. It turns out that the END OF THE WORLD finishes with a fizzle rather than a bang.

Owen Stokes (Greg Grunberg) owns a video store. Suddenly, the world is bombarded by balls of electromagnetic energy. The boys are prepared for every movie apocalypse contingent. Owen's girlfriend Selena arrives with douche Max. Owen and his employee Steve Palmer go to get Steve's mother. The group tries to find Dr. Walter Brown (Brad Dourif) who is locked up in a mental institution. He just might be the only one who can save the world.

It starts with a functional idea. The special effects are mostly low budget sci-fi TV level. Most of the humor don't work. The jokes are mostly half-hearted movie references. It's Armageddon with no budget and not as funny. It's functional for the first half but it wears out its welcome. It would work better if the movie kept it small but it insists on going full Armageddon.

Another 'end of the world as we know it' movie with a very predictable outcome. Sure enough, but still these movies are so campy and cheesy that they are actually fun to watch, and thumbs up to SyFy Channel for keep spewing them out.

The story in "End of the World" is about, well, the end of the world. A strange outer space phenomena takes place and showers the Earth with blasts of forces of energy that are lethal to both electrical devices and living beings alike. A group of young people who have devoted their lives to the disaster movie genre, who works, owns and hangs around a local video store devoted to these types of movies, figure out a solution to save the Earth and race against time to save our beloved planet.

And that is the storyline for you right there. Doesn't get more simple than that. In fact, it doesn't get any more generic and stereotypical for these SyFy Channel disaster movies either. Have you seen one of their movies, then you have essentially seen all. But still, we come back for more because they are so campy and cheesy.

"End of the World" wasn't particularly enjoyable or extraordinary in any way, because there was nothing new to the genre at all here. This was essentially just a re-molding of previously made movies about the very same topic. The only worth mentionable thing was the references to other SyFy movies, Sci-Fi movies and disaster movies in general that was thrown carelessly about all throughout the movie.

Were there plot holes? Indeed there were. And they are so obvious and painstakingly just grabbing the movie by the ankles and weighing it down. But hey, aren't these plot holes an expected thing from this particular type of movies from SyFy Channel?

As for the acting in the movie. Well, people were doing fair enough jobs, but truth be told, then they hadn't much of a script to work with, so it wasn't particularly impressive. Nor was it overly convincing, as you never for one second bought into that the entire world was in any overwhelming danger from outer space.

So, is "End of the World" worth watching? Well, if you are a hardcore fan of SyFy Channel productions and the disaster movie genre in general, then yes. Otherwise, no, hardly so.

While I understand the low ratings of this movie, I think if you watch it in the spirit in which it appears to have been made, it's really a fun movie. End of the World is a tongue-in-cheek homage to pop culture, sci-fi and (of course) disaster movies. The pop culture references alone were fantastic, and the actors are clearly in on the joke, not taking themselves or the cheesy script too seriously. Greg Grunberg is adorable as always. I expected this movie to suck wind, and was pleasantly surprised. If you're a fan of disaster movies and looking for lighthearted escapist fluff, watch this movie & enjoy a few chuckles.