The Road review

Based on Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize winner novel of the same name, The Road is an immediately gripping, instantly horrific film that will make you think about what lies ahead in the future; and how far you'd go to protect your family.
Viggo Mortensen gives a superb performance as the Man, desperate to ensure his son, the Boy, survives the apocolyptic world that surrounds them, whilst making sure that his son knows how to protect himself when he dies. Filled with cannabilism, murderous gangs and little food remaining, the two 'carry the fire' in a attempt to reach the south coast, where salvation may lay.
The Road sounds horribly depressing, and while the outlook is bleak throughout, what makes the film so special is the relationship between father and son. Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee are excellent as the Man and the Boy, both wishing that the world would change so they can finally live safely. It's the smaller scenes when they try to realise whether their the good guys or not anymore that really pack emotional heft. Strong support is provided from Charlie Theron, Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce, in small but telling roles that are sufficient enough to make you care about them too.
John Hillcoat directs with flare, and the black world that he presents is as morbid and macabre as McCarthy's novel presents it as. The visual impact is astounding, especially considering the limited budget of the film ($30M, practically nothing for a post apocolyptic film.) The scenes were we really see how this devastating, unknown event has changed everyone is heartbreaking, and genuine divert-your-eyes moments.
The Road plays well as a thinking man's 2012. This isn't about the cheesy explosions and the fun of watching $200M spent on 3 hours of popcorn fun. This is a bleak, alomst realistic look at a world where everything has gone. The writing and narration add to this real feel by not piling on the cliches and inspirational speeches, but instead focusing on that vital father-son relationship.
A mild quibble would be that some scenes feel uncomplete (particularly the flashback sequences) and some dragging moments.
The real reason behind The Road's failure at the Box Office though, is the fact that although this is an absolutely fantastic film that should be getting more Oscar Buzz than it is now, it's so depressing that no one will want to see it more than once, so the repeat business goes out of the window. Yet The Road is uplifting in equal measure, with the two main protaginsits showing that the human spirit is a beautiful thing, and the film deserves to be respected just as much as the equally excellent novel. This isn't a road well trodden these days, but in this case, it's worth coming down this path.
OVERALL GRADE: 8/10