Survive

Survive is a competently done survivalist, end of the world, action thriller, that feels incomplete.

This French film has all the right ingredients, a family boating vacation, a sudden, extreme change in the earths oceans and some crime/horror elements, that look promising. Regrettably, whilst this film is superficially, quite watchable, it feels less than satisfying when viewed as a whole. I think the main reason is it doesn't take key aspect of the film's story far enough, for it to amount to anything particularly substantial.

On the upside the acting is strong, the character development is reasonable if not exceptional, the core premise and setting is creative, plus the special effects are competently done.

In summary, a mode...

"Tom" (Andreas Pietschmann), wife "Julia" (Émilie Duquenne) and their two teenage kids are having a peaceful boating holiday when huge meteor-sized things start falling from the skies. Next thing - well where has the ocean gone? Their boat is now perched on what we assume is the sea bed, an arid desert like landscape, and the family are suitably perplexed. What now? Well they do manage to make contact with a nearby diver whose bell was stranded on the sea bed, and he tells them some stuff about the poles being reversed and the water all skedaddling to the far side of the Earth. Maybe go join up with him? Well before that can happen they encounter another survivor, but he's a nasty piece of work and soon the family are reduced in number and ...