EDGE OF EXTINCTION / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: ANDREW GILBERT / STARRING: LUKE HOBSON, GEORGIE SMIBERT, CHRIS KAYE, BRYN HODGEN / RELEASE DATE: MAY 18TH (VOD), JULY 13TH (DVD)
The end of the world isn’t far from peoples’ minds at the moment, but writer/director Andrew Gilbert’s film takes us to a post-apocalypse that has been caused by war, just like in the fears of the old days.
The nuclear winter is over, and a young man (Hobson) is struggling to survive out of the way of people, hidden in a storage locker. Going out only to find water and hunt for supplies, he comes across someone else. It’s a girl who claims to be alone and wants to join him. Being a nice guy, he lets her and is duly screwed over. That’s the least of his worries, however, as the roaming gang of cannibals have him – and, particularly, the girl – in their sight.
The post-apocalypse subgenre might old hat these days with the likes of The Road and The Walking Dead doing such a fantastic job of showing how bad things could get, but Edge of Extinction manages to make a decent fist of creating a believable, terrifying future. Although lacking the budget of the aforementioned properties, Gilbert has crafted a grounded, captivating vision of how life could be. Major recognition should go to whoever found the location, as they are perfect. It’s rare to get a low budget film run over two hours, and going in, we were worried that the running time here would stretch things to tedium. We’re delighted to say that’s not the case, as this is genuinely enthralling and it’s easy to root for the lead, and as his story plays out (we see the origin of his solitude and the start of the end of the world as we know it in flashback), he becomes an unlikely hero.
As we’ve come to expect with the subgenre, there are monsters in this apocalyptic vision. Here, they come in human form; no one can fully be trusted, but the band of cannibals are archetypal foes. Devolved from humanity, they epitomise evil. Having such an uncompromising enemy makes a rescue mission that’s attempted during the film and subsequent seize incredibly suspenseful and exciting.
With some amazing locations and great cinematography, Edge of Extinction is highly recommended.
