Directed by Richard Roman Waugh | Released 2021 | Runtime: 1h 59min
A nightmarish scenario, one in which we hope never to experience in our lifetime, becomes reality for one American suburban family. When a planet-killing comet headed straight for earth threatens extinction level events, structural engineer John Garrity (Gerard Butler) must protect his family and ensure their safety at all costs. After receiving an urgent presidential alert instructing them to pack up and immediately make their way to an airfield, events take a turn for the worst as they attempt to board a plane that will take them to safety. As it transpires, only a select few were chosen. Aligning a gut-wrenching sensation paired with inducive survival instincts, our main characters are faced with one inconceivable, but rapid situation. The question is, will they make it, or will they not?
Director Ric Roman Waugh plants you right into the heart of the action, forcing you to feel the sheer panic and terror this family is about to endure. From issues at the airfield to forgetting crucial medication, kidnapping to deadly thuggish encounters, the journey to find salvation is significantly reduced at every turn, as comet ‘Clarke’ burns its way through the atmosphere.
The film offers a glimpse into what could potentially transpire if something like this did happen for real and society started to break down. One particular scene exhibits an extreme example of panic. When a trip to the pharmacy could have been fatal, not because of comet fragments or the blazing sky above, but of fellow humans with guns, and a fearless reason to live.
Gerard Butler suits playing the lead character in disaster action movies, and this one is no exception. The Garrity family are close-knit even though the relationship between John and Allison (Morena Baccarin) had been on the rocks. However, it’s the love for their son Nathan (Roger Dale Floyd) that brings them together unconditionally and steers the performances towards an emotionally charged outcome, to the realisation that family is important, especially when it comes to the end.
One of the most exciting aspects of this action-packed venture is the hook. You are drawn right in to the drama from the beginning and become intensely concerned with this family’s well-being. This film is also believable from a scientific point-of-view, and exudes a realistic projection of the impact, horror, and destruction that an interstellar comet like this could have on our beloved planet.
This is a good popcorn disaster movie. The brewing tension will have you invested all the way to the end, and, even though this is viewed on a small screen, the magnitude of the issue at large will have you sinking into your living room sofa.
Available on Amazon Prime Video
