End of the world scenario's are normally pretty easy to pin down.

Tick off, Nuclear, Cosmic, Environment and you've pretty much covered all the bases but there is one film that avoids this, The Quiet Earth.

The manner in which it achieves it is amazingly inventive, and will have your brain in knots for hours afterwards. And thats not the only good thing about this modestly budgeted but well made New Zealand movie that springs a surprise.

The movie follows Zac Hubson a slightly depressed man who works at the local facility for an unknown worldwide scientific experiment. One morning Zac wakes up to find that the entire world population has simply vanished, planes fall out of the sky and cars grind to a halt with nobody at the wheels as Zac explores this new empty world desperate for answers.

The question of what would you do if you were the last man alive is a common one but this movie is perhaps the best attempt at answering it. Zac initially searches eagerly for what caused this vanishing act suspecting something to do with his work, but eventually the pain of a lonely existence begins to drive him mad, with only the sudden appear of two more people pulling hm back from the edge as the riddle continues to bother the viewer, Where did all the people go?

For a film on such a tight budget it defiantly doesn't short change on the world ends imagary. Burning plane wreckages, empty streets and horizons it certainly does look and feel like a end of days sort of film. It isn't a movie you watch for action thou, its all cerebral as it slowly teases the answer of why to you with each passing minute and when it does eventually give the answer you quite amazingly don't feel disappointment but rather satisfaction because this ending is genius.

Granted its a genius that gave me a headache but the kudo's will still be given. No way you'd see a hollywood movie pull this stunt thats for sure.

A-

Now here's a strange little film. I hadn't even heard of it until my dad recommended it to me a few days ago, so I decided to give it a go. It's very low-budget, very weird, and very memorable. The concept is nothing new - a guy wakes up and discovers he's (apparently) the last person on earth. It's been done in a hundred short stories, several episodes of The Twilight Zone, and, recently, 28 Days Later. But this version is wholly different.

The first half or so is pretty much the lead character - Zac - attempting to live by himself, basically hoarding anything he wants, quickly going mad - it's not action-packed, but it is interesting. While watching the scene where he bursts into a church, armed with a shotgun, wearing a woman's dress, screaming at the heavens, shooting at a statue of Jesus on the crucifix, I was struck by the notion that this is actually what would happen if someone was left all alone on the planet. They would do whatever the hell they wanted. Some brief suggestions of the cause, as linked to the protagonist's shady job, are thrown aside in favour of odd little scenes, such as where he gives a speech to an audience of historical leader cut-outs (ranging from Hitler to Nixon) and proclaims himself "President of this quiet Earth". It really is quite frightening.

The second half deals with Zac finding two others - a woman named Joanne and a man named Api - and the love triangle that invariably forms between them. I found this plot realistic but rather tiresome; I actually kinda felt bad for Zac for literally finding the one woman in the world for him and then having to fight for her, but I got tired of the competitiveness between the two men. This is the only area in which the script falters, as it pulls down the main story, which is slowly answered; both the reason for the trio's survival as well as a possible cause is uncovered. Clues as to the nature of the reality in which they live are given, but nothing is concrete, and it all leads up to an ending that is, at once, both stunningly beautiful and frustratingly enigmatic. It really has to be seen to be believed, though, as the poster really can't do it justice.

It very much feels like a low-budget film, with the simple direction, amateurish actors, and fake effects. Even the aforementioned ending doesn't look as good as it could. But the questions that the story raises and the brilliant finish make this a film well worth watching. It's written very well - apart from the silly romance - with some dark humour and a clear knowledge of science, and the images are definitely memorable. If anything, just see it for the ending, which could either be seen as the most brilliant twist in cinematic history or the biggest cop-out ever. It really is that stunning.

7/10 -> B-

I said it a few times already but I'll say it again - this movie features one of the best opening scenes and (especially) one of the best endings I have ever seen.

But the middle part doesn't deliver all the goodies. The problem with it is that the three chapters of Zac's life after everything went missing go on too long. His loneliness gets boring after some times, his wandering and his love affair with the girl gets boring after some time, and finally the love triangle and the who-is-the-biggest-man competition just gets boring. With some tweaks the movie would be great and with a great pace.