film criticism by maryann johanson | celebrating 25 years: 1997–2022
What would human civilization look like after a billions-dead catastrophe? “End of the world” movies almost universally fail to confront that. Do we need to do better?
A same-old tale of apocalypse knows we’ve seen this all before, and so centers human drama over disaster porn. It has nothing new to say, but at least it says it well, with notes of horrific grace.
How did anyone dare to do this? How did anyone think they would get away with it? Most audacious of all, perhaps: Did anyone have any notion that such a recklessly bold premise for a film would possibly succeed this well?
