How It Ends | Netflix Film Review

How It Ends is a pretty cut and dry Netflix original that utilizes its “story” and “plot” as a mere backdrop for awesome action sequences, more than anything. Theo James takes the lead next to Forest Whitaker in an apocalyptic flick about a man, Will, and his father-in-law, Tom, who must throw it into high gear across the country to get to his fiancée amidst a mysterious disaster within the confines of the country.

Forest Whitaker’s Tom has moments of being a total badass – very Liam Neeson meets John Wick – but I was actually more impressed with Theo’s performance. His play on the character type felt a bit forced in the beginning, but as the character began to grow, so did Theo’s performance. He really ended up standing out, and has a couple Paul Walker “Fast and the Furious” reflective moments. The relationship between Will and his (soon to be) father-in-law naturally progressed with the story as you’d expect, but it still made way for “it’s allergy season” or “who’s chopping onions” moments. There are also some really fun moments, and a couple that make you yell at the characters on screen.

Each scene in How It Ends really had a nice set to it. The color palette was perfect for an apocalyptic storyline, and the alteration in the depth of color truly expanded elements visually. There was a nice progression within the scenes, where each location has a bit of a different color or tone to it, even though the majority of the film’s scenery appears similar.

Sounds like a good time, right? Kinda makes you wanna go river dancing hearing all of these positive comments on a movie you can catch from the comfort of your home, under a blanket. Well, every movie has its ups and downs, and this one is definitely no exception. This had potential to be truly great, but there are more than a handful of moments that make you go “mmm, no”. Many of them are plot holes, but my favorite is that they can drive 6-8 hours and the sun and lighting hasn’t shifted a single bit. How the hell are they a quarter through a cross-country trip and we still got the sun at 3 o’clock?!

I digress. The most controversial, persay, moment of the movie is definitely…How It Ends. See what I did there? All dad jokes aside, it’s fun, it’s engaging, but if you’re the type of audience member that NEEDS to know, needs a resolution, or needs the answers – you’re going to be really disappointed. If you can enjoy it for what it is, without any high expectations, and use your imagination, you’ll have a good time with it.