Film: Aftershock
Starring: Eli Roth, Ariel Levy
Directed By: Nicolás López

Disaster movies are one of the trickier subgenres of the horror/thriller realm. On the one hand, audiences go to these films for the experience of world-ending terror (by monsters or mother nature), but at the same time they expect a certain level of relatable storytelling that often lies beyond the reach of the micro-budget filmmakers who churn out these works like clockwork for SyFy originals and the tiny segment of the direct-to-dvd/VOD audience that is always hungry for horror content. Aftershock starts off with all intentions of rising above these challenges, but quickly spirals into a pit of poor decision making that makes the remaining hour more of an endurance match than an enjoyable viewing experience.

Eli Roth stars (and presents, and co-writes) as an American in Chile on vacation. He has regional friends, or at least people who believes to be close friends, and they spend their time enjoying the sites (and ladies) of the land. One night, however, the group and everyone else in the country is caught off guard when an Earthquake believed to be connected to a tsunami hits. Though they survive the initial scare, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether or not they survive the Aftershock. Unfortunately, the journey to that end is not one I would recommend to anyone hoping to be entertained.

Like many horror films, Aftershock‘s biggest issues starts with its main character. No one, not Roth, his cohorts, or the people they interact with offer much to connect with the viewers or even make themselves seem likable. The viewer is never able to relate to the characters and thus is forced to spend the film feeling like an outsider looking in, never feeling the excitement of being a part of the action. This could be blamed on casting, as it’s about as predictable for low budget horror as one can be without seeming somehow quietly racist, but the majority of the fault falls on the atrocious dialogue. If the characters aren’t screaming in confusion they’re spouting immediately forgettable lines that do nothing to engage the viewer (let alone move things forward). You hate them, that is, if you feel anything at all.

Aftershock‘s second biggest fault lies in its inability to realize the constraints of a small film. There is setup for mass chaos and destruction in the streets, but outside of a momentary sequence outside the initial club all of this apparently left on the cutting room floor. Roth and crew spend the majority of their time in abandoned areas that, while seemingly surrounded by sirens and screams, are all too quiet. There is also a reference to the quake causing prison walls to collapse, which in turn supposedly spills additional terror in the form of loose prisoners into the streets, but aside from a handful of baddies who in no way look like they came from jail this idea is also shelved as soon as it is mentioned. The film never let’s you in on this decision to abandon grandiosity, of course, opting instead to limp along like a mortally wounded soldier until collapsing at a predictable, albeit somewhat enjoyable conclusion.

Every ounce of my movie loving spirit wanted Aftershock to be the great indie disaster film genre fans have been waiting for since Monsters came so close in 2010. Unfortunately, no amount of wishing can make up for a weak script, disposable characters, and the countless false promises that are never fully realized. Worst of all, Aftershock possibly the most boring way one could possibly tell a disaster story, with a cast of characters too obsessed with themselves to care about the madness unfolding around them. It’s so frustrating I literally found myself wishing for the leads to die, if only to move closer to the eventual credits sequence.

If you want to find the next great indie film, or even if you’re looking for a disaster movie that isn’t afraid to have a little fun, run screaming as far as you can from Aftershock. It’s the biggest letdown to the genre since Texas Chainsaw 3D, and even at $4 on VOD it’s hard to say it’s worth your money.

Score: D+

Review written by: James Shotwell (Twitter)

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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