Aftermath

Not a bad movie. Arnold fans like myself will be chomping at the bit waiting for him to do his usual thing, but this is Arnold showing that he can actually act. Good drama, well written and acted. But lacks that certain something to make it great. Still worth a watch though.

Don't expect any Terminators jumping around in this movie. The plot is somewhat new, and not a used up scenario you find in every second movie.

It's a movie that goes a bit deeper than the usual special effects movies these days.

I did not find this movie boring as some stated, it got a slow pace but well thought. The characters need to breathe to send their message out.

So if you want pure action, stay away from it, if you like movies that bring their message with acting, go for it. Arnold Schwarzenegger is talking with his whole body, that's what I prefer to overextended dialogues.

So if you thought you leave it out, because it's just a 6 rating, you might miss an interesting new face of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The actors around him did a good job as well.

This was a very interesting experience, to watch an Arnold Schwarzenegger film without laughing or thinking "damn what a bad ass". Instead the film is emotionally tough and Arnold really pulls it off to make you feel pitiful and sad from the opening sequence. And the film becomes interesting by showing two perspectives of a very complicated and sad situation. The film makes you think about morals and revenge in a very "deep" way, something i would have never expected from an Arnold Scharzenegger film. Respect to Arnold for evolving as an actor.

Not a casual watch but definitely a very good film. (must see for Arnold fans)

My take away from this film wasn't so much the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger, (whom I simply admire as one of Hollywood's best) but how does one deal with and guilt and grief. From the viewpoint of the Air traffic controller, I totally understood his guilt, blaming himself for the mid-air collision and carrying such a heavy load of lost life on his conscious. I don't know about anyone else but whenever I turn on the news and hear of hit and run drivers, who may have taken a life and didn't stop at the scene of the incident to see who they hit I always ask God to give them a burden of guilt and shame that they turn their-selves in. This ATC bore his guilt but tried to restart his life, although I didn't think it was his entirely his fault, but the burden of guilt took its tool on him and his family. The grief of a lost loved one can also be heavy on ones heart, that you can never know how a person will handle such pain. Did I condone what Arnold did to the ATC? Hell no, but I understood his pain, because all he wanted was an a apology from the airline. Overall a thought provoking conversation film, you know the kind you have after you leave the theater. Not a film for everyone, but a definitely a conversation piece.

Aftermath was not what I expected at all. It's strongest moments were early as the story of the crash unfolded. It was terrifyingly mundane, just another work day for Jake in which a very understandably human mistake was made. Only, this mistake resulted in the collision of two passenger planes and unspeakable tragic loss of life. Arnold Schwarzenegger does a fantastic job portraying the strong, older man who loses his family and lacks the emotional equipment to process it. Scoot McNairy is perfectly cast and conveys the guilt and depression of Jake with heart wrenching power.

Unfortunately this story becomes less and less interesting as it progresses. perhaps that's a credit to the filmmakers for not adding dramatic power by adapting it too much. But, ultimately at the end I felt a sort of, "That's it...?" If you're a Schwarzenegger or McNairy fan, you might enjoy it. Otherwise, Aftermath fails to deliver.