The idea of the movie itself is great. Beyond that, it's like the producers didn't even try.
The movie begins with Mr. Robinson at work, as a welder but obviously doesn't have a clue how to weld. No wonder he hates his job.
Soon after they arrive at their new home, with less than a weekend's worth of gear & supplies, obviously without researching ANY of it first.
I still haven't figured out how the racoon can climb back into the stovepipe from outside.
Another incredibly bothersome feature was the toy radio. Their link to the rest of the world... It was a toy from Radio Shack to be used with their "Space Patrol" walkie talkies. It transmitted on Citizens Band channel 14 and had a range of less than one city block in ideal conditions. That's the best the prop department could come up with?
Then they give their unsupervised kids axes & saws, bigger than they are & expect everything to be fine.
Then the multiple self-inflicted disasters begin. Each of which could be easily avoided. As the storyline progresses, it's like... "well, these things just happen." The upside is, the premise of the story is great. The filming locations & scenery are superb. Wildlife scenes, while unrealistic, are good too. The "acting" / performances of the animals were far better than the human actors.
Overall, it was 100 minutes of my life I'll never get back.
A little background on myself... For the first six months or so after returning from the Vietnam War, I lived in an RV on a California beach. After that, I bought some very remote mountain property, very similar to that depicted in this movie.
In my case, everything went precisely according to plan. No disasters or unforseen tragedies.
It was an incredible amount of work getting established, building my cabin etc. But no less than suburban living. Just different. And MUCH better in just about every way possible.
Over fifty years later, my family and I are still living the good life, far away from civilization.
Even being "off grid" I've never been deprived of modern conveniences such as power, running water etc. For decades my telephone was via ham radio using an automated "phone patch". While I still have that as a backup, we now have cellphones and satellite Internet communications.
Bottom line, anyone can achieve this without issues providing they use a little sense and planning.
Consider this... with much luck & hard work, the fortunate ones are able to buy a typical home in the suburbs. If their luck continues, it takes thirty years to pay off their mortgage. Even when things go well, they are relatively miserable... fighting traffic daily going to & from a job they hate. And for what?
The alternative is off-grid living. It takes a minimum of six months for a person working alone to meet their basic needs & survive the first winter. It's an incredible amount of work.
The next spring & summer is easier but still labor intensive.
As time passes, things greatly improve while workload dramatically decreases.
I'd estimate that by the five year mark, the average person is very well established. From then on it's basically maintenance and improving what they have created.
Unlike city living, stress is an absolute minimum. Each day is actually living.
Education, planning and determination are the keys. It's VERY doable.
The movie begins with Mr. Robinson at work, as a welder but obviously doesn't have a clue how to weld. No wonder he hates his job.
Soon after they arrive at their new home, with less than a weekend's worth of gear & supplies, obviously without researching ANY of it first.
I still haven't figured out how the racoon can climb back into the stovepipe from outside.
Another incredibly bothersome feature was the toy radio. Their link to the rest of the world... It was a toy from Radio Shack to be used with their "Space Patrol" walkie talkies. It transmitted on Citizens Band channel 14 and had a range of less than one city block in ideal conditions. That's the best the prop department could come up with?
Then they give their unsupervised kids axes & saws, bigger than they are & expect everything to be fine.
Then the multiple self-inflicted disasters begin. Each of which could be easily avoided. As the storyline progresses, it's like... "well, these things just happen." The upside is, the premise of the story is great. The filming locations & scenery are superb. Wildlife scenes, while unrealistic, are good too. The "acting" / performances of the animals were far better than the human actors.
Overall, it was 100 minutes of my life I'll never get back.
A little background on myself... For the first six months or so after returning from the Vietnam War, I lived in an RV on a California beach. After that, I bought some very remote mountain property, very similar to that depicted in this movie.
In my case, everything went precisely according to plan. No disasters or unforseen tragedies.
It was an incredible amount of work getting established, building my cabin etc. But no less than suburban living. Just different. And MUCH better in just about every way possible.
Over fifty years later, my family and I are still living the good life, far away from civilization.
Even being "off grid" I've never been deprived of modern conveniences such as power, running water etc. For decades my telephone was via ham radio using an automated "phone patch". While I still have that as a backup, we now have cellphones and satellite Internet communications.
Bottom line, anyone can achieve this without issues providing they use a little sense and planning.
Consider this... with much luck & hard work, the fortunate ones are able to buy a typical home in the suburbs. If their luck continues, it takes thirty years to pay off their mortgage. Even when things go well, they are relatively miserable... fighting traffic daily going to & from a job they hate. And for what?
The alternative is off-grid living. It takes a minimum of six months for a person working alone to meet their basic needs & survive the first winter. It's an incredible amount of work.
The next spring & summer is easier but still labor intensive.
As time passes, things greatly improve while workload dramatically decreases.
I'd estimate that by the five year mark, the average person is very well established. From then on it's basically maintenance and improving what they have created.
Unlike city living, stress is an absolute minimum. Each day is actually living.
Education, planning and determination are the keys. It's VERY doable.