Rating summary
| Movie |  | 2.0 |
| Video |  | 4.5 |
| Audio |  | 4.0 |
| Extras |  | 3.0 |
| Overall |  | 2.5 |
The Last Survivors Blu-ray Movie Review
Another Day, Another Dystopia
Reviewed by Michael Reuben July 31, 2015
As drought continues to take its toll on the American Southwest, it was inevitable that
filmmakers would deploy the notion for a genre film. Tom Hammock, a production designer
making his feature directing debut, and his co-writer and producer, Jacob Forman, have created a
striking vision of how the Pacific Northwest might appear after ten years without rain, but the
story they've invented for this bleak setting meanders fitfully before concluding in a final ten
minutes of violent score-settling. By then, you've had far too long to contemplate the defects in
Hammock's conception of the future, such as the lead character's movie-star pearly whites,
which no one could maintain in an era with limited water and an absence of dentistry.
Teenage Kendal (Haley Lu Richardson) and the ailing Dean (Booboo Stewart) hide in the ruins
of the orphanage where they were raised. A jerry-rigged pump supplies just enough water from
the remains of an underground well to keep them alive, as Kendal scavenges the surrounding
countryside for spare parts to repair a salvaged plane they hope will fly them to safety, along with
a kid named Alby (Max Charles) from a neighboring farm. Vagabonds seeking for water are a
constant threat, but the greater menace is a mad land baron, Carson (Jon Gries), who claims
rights to all water in the entire valley. Together with his daughter, Brooke (Nicole Fox), and a
self-appointed preacher, Cadiz (Michael McCartney), Carson is systematically killing off any
occupant of the valley who may be drawing water from the ground.
The film mostly consists of skirmishes between Kendal and Carson's forces, with various
bystanders caught in the middle (and usually dying). Having failed to work out any goal for
Carson more sophisticated than killing to conserve water, the director is reduced to having his
characters traverse the same ground, just missing each other until the final confrontation. The
climactic battle is impressive, but it's unclear what's at stake, because Hammock and Forman are
vague about what remains of the world outside this blighted valley.
The Last Survivors Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
The Last Survivors was shot on Red. MPI Media's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray features a
sharp, bright and detailed image without noise, interference or artifacts, except for some very
light banding at dissolves. The average bitrate of 23.01 Mbps is adequate for digitally acquired
material.
The Last Survivors Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
The disc's DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack creates an effective sense of a dry, windy landscape. The
spare dialogue is clear and intelligible. An alternate PCM 2.0 track is available.
The Last Survivors Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
- Commentaries
- With Writer/Director Tom Hammock and Actors Haley Lu Richardson, Booboo
Stewart, Michael McCartney and Max Charles
- With Writer/Director Tom Hammock and Writer/Producer Jacob Forman
- Deleted Scenes (w/Optional Commentary) (1080p)
- "Kendal on the Run" (1:15)
- "Kendal Trapped in a Well" (8:20)
- Behind the Scenes (1080p; 4:43)
- Haley Lu Richardson Audition/Offer (1080p; 3:44)
- Slide Show (1080p; 3:23)
- Trailer (1080p; 1:59)
The Last Survivors Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
The Last Survivors passes muster on its technical merits as a Blu-ray, but the film itself is
uninspired. A rental at best.
