The Last Survivors Blu-ray Movie

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.