It’s the end of the world and they know it in “Radioflash,” a neither-fish-nor-fowl tale of survival after a massive, seemingly permanent power failure. At first this seems a fairly straightforward “what if” scenario of one family’s coping with the rapid breakdown of society in an unprecedented emergency. But first-time feature director/co-writer Ben McPherson eventually throws in more conventionally exploitative elements that push things toward the realms of thriller and quasi-horror, without actually embracing those genres.
The result is an offbeat conceptual mixture, albeit one that’s somewhat frustrating and occasionally tedious, if beautifully photographed by Austin Schmidt. It opens on 25 U.S. screens Nov. 15. As if anticipating the cries of fanboy types sure to be irked that the film doesn’t identify sufficiently as sci-fi, horror, or thriller, McPherson opens with an elaborately misleading sequence that signals all three, trapping heroine Reese (Brighton Sharbino) in a surreal escape-room nightmare.
The result is an offbeat conceptual mixture, albeit one that’s somewhat frustrating and occasionally tedious, if beautifully photographed by Austin Schmidt. It opens on 25 U.S. screens Nov. 15. As if anticipating the cries of fanboy types sure to be irked that the film doesn’t identify sufficiently as sci-fi, horror, or thriller, McPherson opens with an elaborately misleading sequence that signals all three, trapping heroine Reese (Brighton Sharbino) in a surreal escape-room nightmare.
- 11/14/2019
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.