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How It Ends
By Renee Longstreet,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Violent, profanity-filled tale lacks logic and resolution.
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What's the Story?
Will Younger (Theo James) is on a mission in HOW IT ENDS. He's on a trip from Seattle to Chicago to ask Tom Sutherland (Forest Whitaker), his indomitable prospective father-in-law, for his blessing. Samantha "Sam" (Kat Graham), his partner, is pregnant, and they're planning to make their relationship permanent. Tom is a hardheaded ex-military officer with little respect for Will. In a shocking turn of events, while Will is on the phone with Sam, it appears that Seattle has either been attacked or experienced a horrific natural disaster. As Will and Sam disconnect, with Sam seemingly in fear for her life, power goes out in Chicago as well. All communication is gone; air travel is stopped; no explanations, no news. Chaos erupts. Desperate to reach Sam, Will and Tom set out together to make the journey from Chicago to Seattle. It's a harrowing journey during which the two men, now having to work together to survive, encounter violence from malevolent thugs, panicked victims, and an array of natural phenomena.
Is It Any Good?
Wonderful camera work, along with top-notch stunts and special effects, can't begin to make up for a story that simply doesn't track, that lacks logic, cohesion, and even a modicum of resolution. And sincere performances fail to mitigate the script. The action-packed journey seems to go on forever. Every cliché of dystopian villainy shows up to impede the two heroes. Mains roads are either too dangerous or closed, but that doesn't mean that the men won't conveniently show up just down the road from a friend or even a family member. And they're isolated the rest of the time -- speeding down lonely roads. Where is everybody else on the planet? Endings that leave some question for audiences to ponder and/or sort out can be inspiring, provocative, or fun. But there's no ending; How it Ends simply stops. If the folks who created this film hoped that the title would explain everything, it was wishful thinking. Not recommended.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in How It Ends. Was it shocking? Gruesome? What do you think the filmmakers were trying to say about how far a person will go to survive? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
Sometimes movies end without full resolution. How did you feel about the ending of this movie? Was it satisfying? Why or why not? What conclusions, if any, did you draw?
Many movies with environmental calamities at the story's heart hope to inform or inspire audiences about the ultimate effects of human behavior on the planet. What, if anything, do you think the filmmakers intended to say about such issues?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: July 13, 2018
- Cast: Theo James , Forest Whitaker , Grace Dove
- Director: David M. Rosenthal
- Inclusion Information: Black actors, Indigenous actors
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Adventures , Science and Nature
- Run time: 113 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 18, 2023
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