✯✯ 1/2
There's a strange absence of decent post-apocalyptic films in the entertainment world today. Sure, you have your Mad Maxes and your Terminators and the odd 12 Monkeys and the like, but the vast majority of the ones Hollywood churns out today are no more than mediocre attempts. The best attempt at characterizing a post-apocalyptic fare that I have seen so far would have to be Maggie, if only for the odd connections I put between it and The Last of Us. Z for Zachariah, the latest stab at the sci-fi subgenre, had a promising start with a potential chemistry between its two leads, but sadly it seems that as absent as the presence of other characters are, so is the absence of any real development opportunities for these two characters.
The addition of Chris Pine to the mix later on did provide some nice additional plot to chew on as the film went on, and some of the scenery and cinematography is undeniably gorgeous. But even the addition of an inevitable love triangle and presumed tension between the two male leads wasn't quite enough to keep me entranced in the story. Margot Robbie's character displays a deep spiritually driven passion that sometimes causes some dramatic friction between her and Loomis (Chiwetel Ejiofor), but it still isn't enough to make an interesting post-apocalyptic drama.
Z for Zachariah is a story that has some great potential, but unfortunately doesn't take its characters and actors as far as it could. The film is content with keeping them stale and stagnant in one place, always teasing us with the thought of providing some real tear-jerking dramatic tension, but never taking us there. It's a bit of a cruel ploy on the director's part, and it's kind of disappointing that the film ended up being so flat and boring. I don't think there will ever be a post-apocalyptic film that people will find Oscar-worthy, but it does seem like filmmakers now are trying to put them in the awards season. I don't mind if a post-apocalyptic film is slow, but they should at least be able to have good characters that have decent chemistry with each other. Z for Zachariah (I'm still trying to figure out why that's the title) is lacking in both of these departments, and is ultimately forgettable.