Director: Jim Torres
Co-written by: Ron Harris
Runtime: 95 mins
Country: USA
Language: English
Certification: USA:R
The Review:
Although this movie isn't want we want to review on this website (found here!), I feel I must give it some attention for those who may be online, quickly searching for a review or two before they pick it up off the store shelves. Plus.. you know... I watched the thing the under the same false B-tenses that you might also easily succumb to.
So let's get right to it; 20 Years After is NOT what you expect. Whoever distributed this film (I suppose it's MTI Home Video) has done the same as 99% of the companies out there who are in their position, and I suppose I don't blame them for wanting to maximize potential profits. However, I do not approve of their tactics in any way, and I dare to call them cowards for following through with the 'misleading DVD cover art' safety net that we see covering the shelves at the rental store, more-so in the horror/sci-fi section than any. In this case (no pun intended), it is not an example of the cover art misleading the consumer because it promises that the movie will be of a higher budget or be more visually impressive (example) when it definitely is not.
Someone has decided to dumb the movie down, pawning it off as something that is actually less than it is. 'They' should have the guts to admit, through honest advertising/descriptions of their products, they have something to offer it's audience that it may not fully understand or accept, and there's a good chance they may therefore come away disappointed by said product. However, attempting to fool the rental-store goer into picking up a flick because of false promises will only lead to further dislike and even unnecessary and unwarranted hatred of that film. (as can be seen by 20YA's bashing on IMDB and other sites).
The graphic on the DVD case, the tag-line, the synopsis, and I'm guessing the original title of the film "Like Moles, Like Rats", have all been augmented to suggest it's actually a post-apocalyptic action-thriller that's full of visual effects and content that might rival any number of films that pit man against man in a world that has crumbled to pieces because of war/plauge/natural disaster, and perhaps it is a film that is relies exclusively on this post-war setting. 20 Years After is anything but. As we've seen with the incredibly diverse multitude of locations within any given season of The Twilight Zone, and shows like Quantum Leap, the setting should never be the sole basis for a good story full of interesting characters. It's the predicament or situation that the characters, whom you can hopefully relate to and care about, find themselves in that will draw emotion and therefore entertain an audience. And, of course, some twists and turns always help to raise the audiences eyebrows. Ron Harris and Jim Torres weave together such a story. One that is much larger than it's small budget seems capable of delivering.
In relation to entertaining shlock, gobs of poor acting, horrid dialogue, shoddy visual effects, and buckets of blood and guts, which we who live on Planet B thoroughly enjoy, you're gonna have to keep shopping cuz you won't be finding any of that within the 0s and 1s contained on the shiny reflective surface of this DVD (how dramatic was that description??). What you will find is a tale of tragedy and hope set against an aura that can be best described as a Civil War-era mentality. You'll find a bit of mystery and even a touch of magic in this film.
I recommend it for viewers who are keen on the likes of Joss Whedon, but more importantly, are mature enough to know that movies don't have to have star-studded casts and budgets of millions to be thought-provoking and enchanting.
It's not for everyone, but it was for me.
(P.S. as you can see below, I've given it no traditional Bisforbrains rating. This film doesn't belong on a scale that's meant to measure the multitude of boobs and bleeding livers you're eyeballs are about to behold. But if you must know, I gave it 6 out of 10 on imdb.)
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