End of the Road

If I can rate this 0 stars I would! No wonder I've never seen these actors in anything else. Awful awful awful!

The concept for this movie was a good one. Unfortunately the acting fell flat. But that's not the worse part. Acting in a movie like this isn't expected to be great. The worst part was the effects. They were just terrible. Not just low-budget "doing the best they can with what they have" terrible, but carelessly terrible. Even simple things like blood sprays were just done wrong.

I've had the opportunity to review the screener before the film was released, and was pleasantly surprised. End of the Road has some names you'll know like Doug Jones and Robert Picardo, but also some I've never heard of. At first this film seems like it's going to deliver just what is expected, a film about some ghost hunters, but without spoiling anything, I can tell you "watch it til the end", because I'm guessing you won't have seen it coming. I doubt this film had a big budget to work with, but it seems like they made every penny count. Really solid performances and story without all the H'wood cheesiness from the studio films. Check it out.

So, this has some pretty putrid ratings, despite more than 30% of the reviews giving it a perfect 10 point "greatest ever" rating. So why is it listed with a 2.5? How is that even possible? I'm guessing that IMDb realized that the 10's are done by the production staff and they tossed them out.

So, what is the quality of it? I'd rate it as SyFy channel grade. Yes, I could see this as one of those movies sandwiched between "Titanoboa meets Godzilla" and "The Monster Alligator From Space." So how did this turkey get made? As it is a "show within a show" movie, my guess is that somebody at some drunken party had an idea for how to make a movie that was SO cheap that it HAD to make a profit. As such, I've seen a whole lot worse. I rated it a 4 because there is no 3.5, which is what I'd give it if I could. It definitely ranked above a 2.5 in production values, acting and originality.

End of the Road is a thrilling, fun-filled film with a twisted plot that appropriately places it beside films such as The Game, Sixth Sense, and Fight Club. Like these films, End of the Road is a movie that should be watched once for the thrill of its revelations, and then multiple times to experience anew the intricate way it was crafted to excite and deceive. The cinematic views brilliantly depict the isolated location while still drawing you in with their majesty. A comfortable cabin invites you to stay and experience the suspense and unease as the plot unravels. Once you're settled, the remote setting, rusted ranch machinery and weather-worn abandoned buildings create a perfect backdrop for the restless spirits to encroach on the non-believers. The cast is a great mix of industry heavy-hitters and talented newcomers. Doug Jones brings great character strength to the film, and this time with his own expressive face! Michael Dorn does well in a familiar style, and yet only serves up the first minor paradigm shift of this marvelously meandering movie. Robert Picardo is well cast, his easy-then-eerie presence a perfect herald to an uneasy feeling that our hero may have been misled. The rest of the cast are brilliant in strength and subtlety, but don't get too attached to anyone… the danger is palpable almost from the very beginning. Some consideration has to be given to production level, script, and range of acting ability in this movie. These elements are of reduced impact compared to the larger budget movies it resembles. Even so, what this film does as well as it could with a lower cost, it does with heart. The public has been fed candied special effects, overacted comedy, and needless violence for a long time. While the mobs might feel this movie is not ready for the big screen, neither would they tolerate a classic like North by Northwest - if it weren't for Alfred Hitchcock's name on the poster. This creation has to be experienced in its entirety to be truly appreciated. It may suffice to say that the viewer will only understand the depth of the movie if they suspend judgment until the credits are about to roll. There's no other way to experience the full range of emotions that it can bring. The mystery builds without apology throughout the film and yet it still delivers an ending with confident resolve. Sit on the edge of your seat, drink in the danger, and hang on for the suspense to end in surprise... at the End of the Road!