Z for Zachariah (2015) Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine Movie Review

Z for Zachariah (2015)   4/54/54/54/54/5

Certificate

12

Length

94 mins

Director


Z for Zachariah (2015)

The Survival of Man

Ann Burden (Margot Robbie - About Time) has got use to life on her own since the disaster which wiped out most of humanity, just her and her dog catching food, harvesting the veg she plants and occassionaly entering the radioactive city to collect needed supplies. Then one day she comes across John Loomis (Chiwetel Ejiofor - Savannah) who had been working in an underground bunker when the disaster struck and has now ventured out in the hope of not just finding humanity but also a place where he does not need to wear a protective suit all the time. But John is not the only stranger to stumble into Ann's life as Caleb (Chris Pine - Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit), a miner, also finds them. It causes tension between the three of them as both John and Caleb are attracted to Ann.

Let me tell you what I liked about "Z for Zachariah", here is a movie which in its simplicity is captivating and that is without using lashings of special effects or unrequired action. Yes there are some visual effects when it comes to creating the look of an abandoned civilization but it doesn't rely on them to keep you watching the movie. It is the same with moments of drama as whilst powerful the power comes from the tension rather than any sort of action.

The power of "Z for Zachariah" comes in the form of a simple love triangle but with humanity relying on it. As such we have Ann attracted to John but also the younger Caleb and we have John feeling that his relationship with Ann is threatened by the arrival of Caleb. The movie is basically that simple yet it is so powerful thanks to the situational tension and questions being asked when it comes to what people would do in such a dire situation.

What this all boils down to is that "Z for Zachariah" is one of those simple movies which uses such a familiar idea yet does so brilliantly to make for a captivating drama.


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