User Reviews

The Survivalist is not a main stream movie. It is of the post-apocalyptic fiction genre. I would recommend it to individuals who appreciate the craft of story telling - in and of itself. As a warning to most people looking for entertainment: there is no dialogue for the first 17 minutes of the movie. All aspects of the movie are very good. The story is sad - but, not without hope. There are no surprising plot twists, involved mysteries, monsters, car chases, etc. The film is simple and shows how some people might react if the complexities of civilization did not exist. In that regard, the story is predictable - but, it is interesting to watch this particular portrayal.

This film is well made, with great cinematography, direction, acting... all the stuff. My major issues with the movie is that, firstly, THERE ARE NO SCI-FI ELEMENTS WHATSOEVER. I have no idea why it is listed as a scifi/drama. There is nothing scifi about it. My second isssue is that i can not recommend anyone watch this movie. there isnt enough of an emotional core for me to care about any of the characters or the grim, brutal situations they are placed in. If you wanna watch a grim, brutal movie where you cannot help but become invested in the characters, I highly recommend The Nightingale.

A generous 2 considering you could write the script on the back of a condom wrapper. With so many good critic reviews I painfully sat until the end but reader please don’t be fooled. ‘Mad Max in the countyside’. The film was more like Mad Max in his uncles Shed with an overused 1970’s Playboy magazine.

I'm not sure who would really be into this film in a serious way except possibly right-wing neoCons who fantasize about the day when nothing matters except the power of guns and the ruthless determination to take whatever one needs to survive, without regard to any inconveniences such as ethics or morals or laws. The film runs for just over 100 minutes. It's relentlessly grim and so narrowly focused that the viewer gets no clue as to what has happened to the world or where civilization has gone, if indeed it has gone anywhere. Our main characters say so little that we learn virtually nothing about any of them, except that it's made clear that none of them are bothered much by the aforementioned lack of ethics, morals, or laws. As post-apocalyptic films go, this isn't the worst I've seen, but there's nothing in any way supernatural to add spice to the brew. In fact my main complaint is that I spent most of the film waiting for something to happen. The plot is threadbare. The dialog would pose no disturbance inside a public library. There is an attempt to make the "Survivalist's" efforts to survive appear credible, but the efforts come up short. (For one thing, plan on planting a minimum of half an acre per person per year if you want to subsist by farming. The film shows us about 20 square feet or so hidden away in the middle of the woods and laughably describes this as "enough for one".) If the title strikes you as interesting, then give the film a try. But don't expect it to be a happy event.

The Survivalist shows self-preservation from a very psychological perspective. There is planting and hunting for instance but the crux of the movie is whom to trust and when. A quiet film with intense, expressive faces, and sporadic heart-pounding moments. Incredibly engaging with absolutely zero humor.

This is not a the typical Hollywood movie. Actually, I probably don’t have to say anything else, but I will. This film is all characters. What would you do? Unlike most of the crap that is in American films, this is quite realistic and takes one on a journey to California’s future. There is no Liberal insanity (agenda), which is insanely refreshing. Watch it, and think about it.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

good flick bordering on the almost great, one reviewer i read said it was "lean", lol, yeah, this is the leanest post apocalyptic film you're going to see, interesting themes in this envisioning of when everything goes to hell & stays there. worth the watch.