Viggo and Kodi. What are you looking at?So... work in progress. Fine tuning can help anything: Trim this scene, delete that redundant one. But I worry. They passed out those infamous test-screen questionnaires and delicate art fare like this... Well, won't it just get stupid missing-the-point notes like "TOO DEPRESSING!"? Or "but why was there an apocalypse???" I hope they incinerate clueless scribbles and concentrate on constructive ones.
The movie is very faithful to McCarthy's novel in current shape. It has mostly the same story beats as The Man and the Boy travel south trying to avoid starvation, cannibals, and unforgiving weather. The Road wisely avoids narration (the novel is minimalist and voice-over would conjure the opposite feeling altogether) and the production design from the Children of Men team is believably ashen and lived-in: They've cornered the market on post-apocalyptic drama! The Man (Viggo Mortensen) and The Boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) have super chemistry which is a huge relief since everything potent about the story requires it. All of the nomadic starving ensemble have tiny roles but Robert Duvall floored me and Garret Dillahunt (rapidly turning into one of my favorite character actors) spooked me, respectively.
I'm crossing my fingers that the final touches make it sharper and more potent (and a lot will depend on color, light and editing --it wasn't a finished print) but it's good. *breathes sigh of relief*
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