Desolate (I) (2018) User Reviews

Disturbing

[omendata · 6/10 · 15 July 2019]

Well filmed and acted and a very strange story - where is this meant to be set as I certainly haven't seen this sort of place in the USA and in what year as it seems to be a futuristic movie or just trying to be different.

I must admit I always find movies in which women are used and abused quite disturbing and this one leaves a particularly bad taste in the mouth and does not really have many redeeming features!

I suppose you could say it does illustrate what is going on in the world but it has been done many times before and this film really gives nothing new and although it is well acted the story really goes nowhere - pretty average fair!

What a missed opportunity

[topcar · 6/10 · 16 July 2019]

First half 8/10 the second half 5/10, it's like one person wrote the first half and someone else wrote the second half, This could of been a very very good movie

Incoherent

[bornskeptic · 5/10 · 7 February 2020]

This movie was a mess. It had a lot of potential.... family of brothers amid this awful landscape fighting for survival. But the script was simply unintelligible. It had enough plot and story for a 3 hour movie which makes me wonder if this thing got butchered in the editing room. There were leaps in logic and believability that were jaw dropping. Made no sense. I loved some of the characters, a couple of tense scenes, and some beautiful outdoor cinematography. But it was so disappointing.

Another piece of garbage with fake imdb reviews

[carlos-pires · 1/10 · 13 July 2019]

This is surely one of the worst movies I have ever watched in the last 40 years. Don't believe the 9 star reviews, which are obviously fake reviews from production staffers. Hint: click on the "See all my reviews" and if this guy who is so eloquently praising this piece o's*** only has 1 review, IT'S OBVIOUSLY FAKE! As for the movie... it has the most stupid and incoherent plot I have ever seen. Nothing makes sense. Looks like a bunch of redneck inbreeding crackheads decided to movie on redneck inbreeders and crackheads. I was fooled by above-average poster design and by fake imdb reviews. Please don't make the same mistake I did.

Everybody is dumb...everybody

[Otte1 · 3/10 · 11 February 2020]

This movie does not have a single character to rally around. And the description of the movie is very misleading. There is essentially no 'revenge factor' that the movie leads you to believe it is about. Each decision made is about the absolutely worst decision that could be made.

Example: I have three dirt bikes trying to get away from a single pickup truck, and there are ditches, tundra, sand that only the dirt bike can travel and not the pickup truck....yet I stay on paved road allowing the truck to catch up with me(made worse by the fact that these three guys were very experienced dirt bike riders). I know that people are trying to kill me and I stop by local diner to eat and talk with my dirt bikes parked in front(remember this is a small town with a couple hundred people, and about only two diners in whole town).

Also, it does that thing that international movies do....it ends right in the middle of a scene, for no reason at all. You are left with a 'Sopranos' what is going to happen next moment.

Predictable and truly awful

[pencritical · 1/10 · 22 July 2019]

Desolate supposedly takes place in a land where no rain has fallen in forever, but there is grass -- brown grass. Evidently these dumb jack-knapes don't know what ground would look like when nothing grows for years. There wouldn't be ANY grass you morons. Try a desert, the outback? A tundra? Not the badlands... that grass is just summer dormant. Idiots make bad movies.

Anyway, bad settings aside, the story is asinine and boring as hell. A stupid idiot of a kid has three equally stupid and overbearing older brothers and a "shades of Deliverance type" stupid father who all insist he tow the line, which up until this point he evidently hasn't been doing but suddenly feels the need to do now?

Stuff as expected goes from bad to worse. There is a girl. There is stolen money. There are bad guys. There is betrayal. There is more betrayal. There is a lot of death. The comatose stupid kid is a hero under it all. All the people who should live do except one sacrificial good guy. Blah, Blah, Blah. Does it sound familiar? It should. You've seen it before. It bored you then. It will bore you now. Don't bother.

A solid indie feature that deserves more love than it's getting here

[Yodel_lay_hee_hoo · 7/10 · 11 August 2019]

The reviews for this one seem oddly polarised, so let me state at the beginning that it is neither a 10/10 feature NOR a 1/10.

I loved the idea of a dystopian near-future film taking place in a rural/agricultural setting, and Desolate didn't disappoint. The location chosen is fantastic, the landscape echoing the barrenness and emptiness within the characters. The film is shot beautifully--even if some shots are not as polished as they might be if this were not an indie production.

Speaking of characters, the cast did a wonderful job. Desolate doesn't give you all the answers in exposition dumps; it's a slice of life film in that you need to piece together the story of the world they're inhabiting yourself. I like this, but I admit it can be frustrating.

Will Brittain's Billy starts the story as a kid who is not cut out for the brutal world he's inhabiting, but despite what he does to survive, doesn't lose the inherent goodness that sets him apart from other characters.

Bill Tangradi brings a solemn air of nostalgia to Kyle. He remembers the time before the drought, before their father turned to Stone (pun intended). His is a tragic and somewhat pathetic figure.

Jonathan Rosenthal didn't get enough screentime to really shine as Parker, while Tyson Ritter struck the only bum note as Ned, sometimes playing him a little too overwrought early on in the movie although towards the end he, too, comes into his own as a character.

Natasha Bassett is relegated to role of damsel in distress, but she imbues Kayla with the same innocence that sets Billy apart, and her suffering truly is heart-wrenching.

Callan Mulvey's Van is a mysterious figure. He's in deep with the villains, but he plays all sides; doing whatever it takes to bring in the dollar bills. The movie hints at a past as a lawman in some capacity, but stubbornly refuses to make figuring him out easy. It's a masterful turn by a character actor at the peak of his game.

Special mention has to go to Mark Kassen as Raymond, who is quite a treat to watch-at least for a short while.

The plot is convoluted, and in places somewhat incomprehensible. At one point the characters stop on a road that would seemingly lead them to safety, and it's not clear why they can't continue along it.

But all in all, Desolate is a very accomplished debut feature; it's not by any means perfect, but it marks the people behind it as ones to watch in future.

Meh. Rather lack luster.

[Medevi1 · 5/10 · 16 July 2019]

This movie gets 5 stars from me, and just barely. I can see some giving it a 6 but anything over that is either someone selling their product or people that are easily impressed. This is a modern day western set in forgotten town USA. There is nothing futuristic about it. More a look into the bleak world of man when left to his own devices. The movies story is unoriginal with typical characters behaving in typical fashion. The pace is set early, and never really gains any steam making it feel monotonous. The movie does do a good job at making you wonder how thing came to be the way they are, and has a real sense of believability in that it could happen without to much stretch of the imagination. That's really the only thing the movie has going for it. I didn't find it unsettling, brutal, exciting, or compelling in any way. It's average nothing more, and nothing less. Watch it if you like, but please don't be persuaded by these reviews giving it 9s, and 10! I promise you it's a 5!

Way better than expected

[machi712-835-648661 · 7/10 · 11 February 2020]

Is it a stellar film? No, but it's way better than I expected. Good acting, good action, interesting enough plot, effectively disturbing at times. Some plot holes but solid indy thriller.

Horrible Horrible, Horrible Movie

[sp1063 · 1/10 · 28 November 2020]

It started off really, really bad..........and just kept getting worse. I can't even tell you why I watched it to the end.

Don't waste your time or your bandwidth on it.

Good movie!

[vultur_gryphus · 9/10 · 11 February 2020]

Wtf is with the bad reviews?! Good acting, cool story line...maybe a little predictable but still so so good!

A good surprise !

[damienmassart · 7/10 · 15 July 2019]

First, I was thinking to a cheap, low-budget, Mad Max-like movie, but I soon discovered that Desolated had its own singularity : that of a futuristic western with epic accents. The plot is good, the acting is excellent, and the stagîng is sumptuous. Some scenes look like Edward Hopper or Andy Wyeth paintings, and it sometimes reminded me of Days of Heaven or The Reflecting Skin, in the way of filmîg lands capes. In a time of movies formatted on the same model, it was a really good surprise to discover a film like this one, original, intense and dramatic. Watch it, you won't waste your time.

What Kind Of Love Have You Got ???

[nebohr · 5/10 · 4 December 2020]

Billy Is A Classic Screw-Up. He Gets His Family Killed Because He Puts His Love For A Girlfriend Above His Loyalty For His Family. There Is A Significance To The Ending...But It Has A Falseness To It.

Oh man...

[mercyaintfree · 2/10 · 6 February 2020]

Just a really...really...REALLY bad film. If you watch this though there are some memorable lines that are supposed to be dramatic..but are laugh out loud funny. Probably cost 1.99 to make...."it was an accident Billy" "you shot him in the heart Ned". Hahahaaaaaa. Billy and Ned. Frank and Ted. Camaros and prostitutes. WANTED...DEAD OR ALIVE...THE PLOT FOR THIS cough...MOVIE.

Confusing bundle of randomness

[Kyle-Kyohazard · 4/10 · 15 February 2020]

Starts off as a desolate (title) post apocalyptic desert world where families are struggling to survive against each other and turns into a confusing weird hillbilly heist/drug/prostitution ring movie. Feels more like an episode of the David Morse TV series Outsiders than Mad Max. The only real saving grace is Jason Ritter (Humperdoo)

Despite it's faults I was engaged

[MisterButts · 7/10 · 12 April 2020]

I felt compelled to write a review because I acknowledge the effort of the creators and actors. The cinematography and production is very good and the barren landscape really captures the brutal harshness of the situation the characters are in.

There are some things that are to be questioned. Like how does a diner still continue to operate serving food amidst a severe drought? And serve beef burgers no less? I thought there were no cattle left. And hotels still seem to be operating as normal while down the road there's a truck stop littered with armed thugs guarding kidnapped girls who have been forced into prostitution. I get it's a dystopian setting but this required too much suspension of disbelief. Hotels and diners and society keep operating as normal without any kind of law enforcement present while human traffickers run amok? Right

It is a dark, gritty, bleak and disturbing experience. It does not pull any punches especially when it comes to showing how women are abused and exploited by cruel masters. The acting was very good and the violence was brutal and raw. It's not a perfect movie by any means but the actors were committed to their parts and it really does show. Give it a watch

Worth to try

[ariqakbar · 7/10 · 3 August 2019]

Yes the story was going far from the grip as this movie goes. but it doesn't make it that bad. the half from begining gave a very strong story for me. good background. the concept feels pretty tight too.

they do a quite good act to be fair. great choice of set.

the closing feels it force to be there. and make the movie more even going to the bad decision. but beside that i kinda enjoy a whole package of this one.

Emotional - I FELT this!

[jjstetch · 8/10 · 3 May 2020]

It got better and better. Then I HAD to see what was going to happen - very good development timing and keeping the audience engaged. Kind of meditative, I liked the spaces between the action. You can really feel for each character's motivations, no matter what side they were on.

Worth more than its current 4.9 rating

[natasha661 · 6/10 · 26 October 2020]

Unsure why not rated higher. Good indie film. Main character Billy Stone was likeable. Liked the hot dry rural setting, showing the grim realities of farming with no water and the breakdown of local community and influx of drugs and prostitution/human trafficking. Becoming a eat or be eaten mentality. Enjoyed.

Good acting makes up for weak script

[lighterthanair-82569 · 6/10 · 2 December 2020]

Worth watchIng, although it brought up many logic questions, such as, why are you fighting to save a farm where nothing has grown for years? And Billy, the "good guy" taking revenge on his brothers who left him behind... while being shot at by a psycho with a machine gun? I love my brother, but I hate machine guns even more. They had to leave him. And why are there full service burger joints when there are no cows? However... it kept me glued to the TV with good acting and enough action to justify 90 minutes. And a great job by Callan, the guy who played Van, the "mysterious hero."

worth the watch

[tenorfly-1 · 8/10 · 14 July 2019]

Starting to take a lot to grab my attention, this film did, solid acting great story

Wow! Way better than expected.

[shellycaldeira808 · 10/10 · 14 July 2019]

Really liked this movie! The epitome of both bad character & people with all the right stuff. Wanted more. It's got one of those endings where you kinda know what the future holds however you just wanna see and experience some of that future! Double thumbs up!!

Great movie!

[chermcguire · 9/10 · 3 May 2021]

Like someone said...I don't know why the bad reviews. If you want an action thriller, this is it! Very intense! Bloody! Violent! Great acting. Great stunts. Restricted 🚫 Not suitable for children! This review should give you a clue as to what kind of movie you are watching...so if you don't like violence, don't watch it!