I have been a huge fan of Cormac McCarthy ever since the movie No County for Old Men was released. I loved that movie so much I ran out to buy the book. After reading it, I was amazed at how faithful the movie was to the book. McCarthy has an unusual writing style, notorious for omitting punctuation, but his stories are always compelling and thought-provoking. I have read several of his books since, and The Road was by far my favorite. I read the entire book in two days, THAT'S how drawn in I was to the story. There's a reason it was a Pulitzer Prize winner, and it's one of my most favorite books of all time.
I was both excited and concerned when I heard that there was a film adaptation of the book. I hadn't learned about this film until years after its release. Of course, I had to watch it, but I did do with a high degree of skepticism and was prepared for utter disappointment. But to my surprise, I absolutely LOVED it. It literally felt like I was watching the book. Seriously, this movie was nearly identical to how I visualized the story in my head. It's not uncommon for book fans to be highly critical of movie adaptations and the artistic liberties filmmakers sometimes make. But I am confident that those who have read (and loved) The Road will not be disappointed with this film. It is, without a doubt, one of the BEST book-to-film adaptations I've ever seen.
I can only surmise that the majority of negative reviews about this film come from people who have never read the book. I'm not sure how many people who read the book and hated it would go on to watch the movie, but maybe there are a few who would. It's understandable why some people have a hard time with this movie, and the story in general. It's dark. It's depressing. The future is bleak. A lot of the scenes are hard to watch and it can be emotionally draining. But it's also one of the more realistic depictions of what life might look like in the aftermath of a catastrophic apocalypse. And for once, zombies are not responsible for it.
The book, nor the movie, explains the event which caused the apocalypse. I think that's because it is irrelevant to the story McCarthy is trying to tell. The focus is not on the event itself, but on survival and how we, as human beings, endure when the future seems utterly hopeless. Having said that, my personal belief is that the "event" was caused by a massive asteroid. A global nuclear or volcanic disaster would create too much radiation or atmospheric carbon monoxide for people to be walking around outside instead of hiding underground. Instead, what we see here is eerily similar to what we might have seen when dinosaurs were wiped off the Earth.
A large-scale asteroid impact would cause a mass-extinction event killing virtually all animal and plant life. Dust and debris would fill the skies for several years and block light from the sun. Since plants require sunlight for photosynthesis, they would be the first to die followed by the animals who eat them. Temperatures would drop. The particulates in the air that we would be constantly exposed to and breathe in would make us sick over time and cause respiratory issues. So, surviving such an event would be both a blessing and a curse. Because yes, you'd still have your life, but every day would be a battle and a struggle to keep it. Life would very much look like it does in The Road. It's not pleasant, but it seems fairly accurate.
So the book, nor the movie, is sugar-coating what could someday (and without warning) be a plausible reality. It's HARD to have hope when literally everything and everyone around you is either dead or dying. Some may view McCarthy's story as bleak and hopeless, but I think they're missing the point. Human beings have a STRONG survival instinct. We are so afraid of death, in fact, that most cultures have adapted a belief in life after death to cope with the inevitable, yet uncomfortable concept of mortality. Even with such devout beliefs, no one seems to be in a hurry to give up their mortal life. We WANT to survive, and you can never really know the lengths you're willing to go unless you find yourself in a true survival situation. Especially to protect your family.
What the story gives us is the horror of what humans would do to survive, but also how we are capable of retaining our humanity. How kindness, compassion, and empathy is possible even in the face of certain death. The Boy, who has only ever known life in a post-apocalyptic world, deeply cares for others despite his father's attempts to harden his heart. The Boy is innately kind and generous in a world that likely won't reward him for it. Altruism is the antithesis to self-preservation. But he gives the world hope. And there are many other "blink and you'll miss it" glimmers of hope laced throughout the movie that, while perhaps not in the near future, demonstrates how resilient living things are even when some circumstances are completely out of our control.
Our planet has already endured at least five mass extinction events that we know of. But the Earth is also resilient, capable of recovery and thus it continues to sustain life in one form or another. We would not exist had the dinosaurs survived; their death gave rise to the mammals that were their prey. With the predators gone, they were able to proliferate and evolve over the last 100+ million years. For perspective, modern humans have only been around for the last 20,000 years. If the Earth came into existence 24 hours ago, humans would be less than a second old.
Our consciousness and intelligence have allowed us to survive, but it has also turned our species against one another with a long history of war and ambitions of power. This leads us to the ultimate question of what The Road is really about. Is it about surviving a desolate and inhospitable environment? Or is it about surviving ourselves? If we're not working together, we're working against each other, and The Road tells a story of how we always have that choice. We could fight, kill, and steal from one another, or we could love, show compassion, and share with others. Because at the end of the day, the Earth will move on with or without us on it. Just like it moved on long after the dinosaurs.
I was both excited and concerned when I heard that there was a film adaptation of the book. I hadn't learned about this film until years after its release. Of course, I had to watch it, but I did do with a high degree of skepticism and was prepared for utter disappointment. But to my surprise, I absolutely LOVED it. It literally felt like I was watching the book. Seriously, this movie was nearly identical to how I visualized the story in my head. It's not uncommon for book fans to be highly critical of movie adaptations and the artistic liberties filmmakers sometimes make. But I am confident that those who have read (and loved) The Road will not be disappointed with this film. It is, without a doubt, one of the BEST book-to-film adaptations I've ever seen.
I can only surmise that the majority of negative reviews about this film come from people who have never read the book. I'm not sure how many people who read the book and hated it would go on to watch the movie, but maybe there are a few who would. It's understandable why some people have a hard time with this movie, and the story in general. It's dark. It's depressing. The future is bleak. A lot of the scenes are hard to watch and it can be emotionally draining. But it's also one of the more realistic depictions of what life might look like in the aftermath of a catastrophic apocalypse. And for once, zombies are not responsible for it.
The book, nor the movie, explains the event which caused the apocalypse. I think that's because it is irrelevant to the story McCarthy is trying to tell. The focus is not on the event itself, but on survival and how we, as human beings, endure when the future seems utterly hopeless. Having said that, my personal belief is that the "event" was caused by a massive asteroid. A global nuclear or volcanic disaster would create too much radiation or atmospheric carbon monoxide for people to be walking around outside instead of hiding underground. Instead, what we see here is eerily similar to what we might have seen when dinosaurs were wiped off the Earth.
A large-scale asteroid impact would cause a mass-extinction event killing virtually all animal and plant life. Dust and debris would fill the skies for several years and block light from the sun. Since plants require sunlight for photosynthesis, they would be the first to die followed by the animals who eat them. Temperatures would drop. The particulates in the air that we would be constantly exposed to and breathe in would make us sick over time and cause respiratory issues. So, surviving such an event would be both a blessing and a curse. Because yes, you'd still have your life, but every day would be a battle and a struggle to keep it. Life would very much look like it does in The Road. It's not pleasant, but it seems fairly accurate.
So the book, nor the movie, is sugar-coating what could someday (and without warning) be a plausible reality. It's HARD to have hope when literally everything and everyone around you is either dead or dying. Some may view McCarthy's story as bleak and hopeless, but I think they're missing the point. Human beings have a STRONG survival instinct. We are so afraid of death, in fact, that most cultures have adapted a belief in life after death to cope with the inevitable, yet uncomfortable concept of mortality. Even with such devout beliefs, no one seems to be in a hurry to give up their mortal life. We WANT to survive, and you can never really know the lengths you're willing to go unless you find yourself in a true survival situation. Especially to protect your family.
What the story gives us is the horror of what humans would do to survive, but also how we are capable of retaining our humanity. How kindness, compassion, and empathy is possible even in the face of certain death. The Boy, who has only ever known life in a post-apocalyptic world, deeply cares for others despite his father's attempts to harden his heart. The Boy is innately kind and generous in a world that likely won't reward him for it. Altruism is the antithesis to self-preservation. But he gives the world hope. And there are many other "blink and you'll miss it" glimmers of hope laced throughout the movie that, while perhaps not in the near future, demonstrates how resilient living things are even when some circumstances are completely out of our control.
Our planet has already endured at least five mass extinction events that we know of. But the Earth is also resilient, capable of recovery and thus it continues to sustain life in one form or another. We would not exist had the dinosaurs survived; their death gave rise to the mammals that were their prey. With the predators gone, they were able to proliferate and evolve over the last 100+ million years. For perspective, modern humans have only been around for the last 20,000 years. If the Earth came into existence 24 hours ago, humans would be less than a second old.
Our consciousness and intelligence have allowed us to survive, but it has also turned our species against one another with a long history of war and ambitions of power. This leads us to the ultimate question of what The Road is really about. Is it about surviving a desolate and inhospitable environment? Or is it about surviving ourselves? If we're not working together, we're working against each other, and The Road tells a story of how we always have that choice. We could fight, kill, and steal from one another, or we could love, show compassion, and share with others. Because at the end of the day, the Earth will move on with or without us on it. Just like it moved on long after the dinosaurs.