This could have been a decent flick had it not been so freaking slow. Everyone in this movie floats through the plot as though they are either really tired or really high. Although this may be representative of the state of mind in a post-apocalyptic world, it sure does not make for good storytelling. Even the music score drones for the most part keeping our pulses slow and our eyelids heavy. It is too bad because the acting is good and there is a lot of production value on the screen even though it is a low-budget flick. The problem is that when you have a minimalist plot that has your protagonists moving very slowly from point A to point B with little explanation as to why, it is extremely difficult to keep an audience engaged.

Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project) stars as Michael, an underground radio DJ who is broadcasting to anybody who is listening. It is twenty years after the world has been decimated by war and plague and there are few humans remaining. Early in the film, Michael is approached by Pierre, another survivor who leads him to a group that are living in a giant cave. As Michael begins his journey, we also meet a pregnant woman named Sarah (Azura Skye) and her mother Margaret (Diane Salinger) who are living alone and making due after Sarah's partner was killed. After meeting a strange man named Samuel (Reg E. Cathey), the three of them decide to seek others. Eventually, all of the main characters meet up at the cave and have to deal with the threat of a small group of cookie-cutter post-apocalyptic bad guys. The villains want to steal Sarah's baby as she is the first woman in 15 years who has been able to carry a pregnancy to term. After handling the first attack by the Road Warrior rejects, Sarah and her friends make an attempt to seek out another voice on the radio as it is a glimmer of hope for the future.

Man, I cannot stand it when I write a plot synopsis that sounds lame but I'll be honest, this was a bit of a slog to get through. I have seen much worse but it does not exclude the fact that this movie felt uninteresting and pointless. Adding to the frustration are some scenes of forced weirdness such as Samuel using a ventriloquist's dummy and the villains acting dumber than they need to be. There are also family ties that are unnecessary and the whole thing just does not feel natural. Leonard does well as the DJ but his character doesn't have much to do other than spout out some philosophy and play some tunes. Skye plays her role convincingly but also does not have much to do. You can see that the talent is there from a number of the other actors as well but the script is so weak that it is difficult to care about what happens to any of them. In fact, when one of the more sympathetic characters is killed, you may find yourself relieved as you will not have to hear any more of the silly and nonsensical dialogue that the character is reciting.

This is an example of how a weak script can destroy a film. The filmmakers had the means to make a good flick with the talent they chose and the budget they had. These factors become irrelevant, however, when the script takes the main idea from Children of Men and goes nowhere with it. There are many loose ends and a number of inexplicable actions that left me scratching my head but I was too disinterested to rewind to see if I missed something. At times, I felt as though I was going into a trance as there is no sense of urgency whatsoever. All we have is a bunch of characters meandering along talking about doing something important but not acting like they could care less. Well, neither could I. Pee Wee Herman fans will recognize Salinger as the waitress at the dinosaur park in Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Also look for Nathan Baesel, the star of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon as the main bad guy who is the only person who has any life. (Josh Pasnak, 6/11/11)

Directed By: Jim Torres.
Written By: Jim Torres, Ron Harris.

Starring: Joshua Leonard, Azura Skye, Nathan Baesel, Diane Salinger.

Picture Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen.

Picture Quality: The movie looks good for the budget and the cinematography gives it a higher quality.

Extras: First up, we get a commentary from writer/director Jim Torres. Although he clearly believes in the picture and is well-spoken, this commentary did little to increase my appreciation of his work. Next, we have 13 minutes of deleted scenes and an alternate ending. Deleted scenes are usually deleted for a reason and it annoys me when they are included just for kicks because reviewers like me have to sit through them. Finally, we get a brief behind-the-scenes segment and a few trailers.