Ash, Blacktop, and Cannibals
A look at the enticing world of the post-apocalypse in all of its bloody, dirty, and malnourished glory.
Be warned, there are full spoilers for movie The Road below, so don't cry about it later.


In a world where people seem to be losing regard for others- with a media projecting grim projections of the future, it's not surprising that the aftermath of what once was the Earth has become such a popular setting for media. When everything you do, say, or insinuate can have a shattering impact on the rest of your life, we feel for protagonists who are forced to make the grueling choices required by the genre.

This variety of stories can be traced as far back as the 19th century with Lord Bryan's poem Darkness, but have not really reached popular media until the 21st century. Productions such as movies The Road and I Am Legend along with television series The Walking Dead have very large fan bases (along with multiple hecklers). While the disgustingly awesome gore (I'm looking at you Walking Dead) has it's attractions, the genre's recent rise to popularity has more to do with the real world than some people may think. In the midst of a sinking economy and obviously inept government such a world doesn't seem so far away, and (if you interpret these stories metaphorically) that dog-eat-dog world is already here.

Post-apocalyptic stories play off all the pressures one faces on a daily basis in today's society. The heavily-weighted decisions placed on Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead relate to our struggles of maintaining a job or good grade in a competitive and unforgiving reality. The dreary loneliness faced in I Am Legend can be associated to the feeling of seclusion we feel at times.

The Road (originally a novel by Cormac McCarthy, now a film directed by John Hillcoat) focuses on the conflict between people after the apocalypse as they struggle to survive with the few salvageable scraps of civilization left. It's also one of the most depressing movies you'll ever see. Seriously. Imagine the happiest Disney movie ever (pick your own, no need for a flame war) then drag it through the darkest depths of your mind, burning down the entire setting and leaving the all your characters either dead or starving. Then you have The Road. The characters encounter cannibals, a thief, bandits who are also cannibals, starvation, and disease. One of the most haunting scenes in the movie is when the heroes enter the basement of a house to find a large group of people who are being kept like animals to be harvested.

The protagonists include a man and his son as they journey southward through America in search of safety and warmth. This movie is one of the few to ever kill off a main character, but by the time you see "Daddy" die you've already been exposed to so much gloom that it's not nearly as sad as you think. Viggo Mortenson( if anyone can survive the apocalypse it's Aragorn) plays the father and his son is played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, whose freakishly blue eyes stare into your soul throughout the movie. The actors do an exceptional job of realizing the roles set by McCarthy's novel. The scenery of The Road is also extremely well-done; casting a bleak shadow over every scene. The biggest blessing is that the majority of the movie follows the book word for word, leaving expectant readers giggling delightedly through tears when they find out their book wasn't butchered (cough, cough, Percy Jackson).

All in all, The Road is an outstanding representation of the novel it's based on. The acting and portrayal both shine as believable testaments to a great movie. Heart- wrenching moments foster sympathy and multiple allegorical interpretations. If you are easily depressed or bored you may not enjoy this movie or it's fairly long runtime (111 minutes); but, if you're a sucker for the apocalypse, it's well worth your time.