Sole Survivor features a plot that begins a lot like James Herbert's classic book 'The Survivor', and turns into something much more like the modern thriller 'Final Destination'. The idea behind the film is always going to be interesting, as death is the ultimate unknown and stories about the other-worldly forces that govern the afterlife are always bound to be intriguing; but due to this film's low budget and generally slow plot, what could have been a great thriller is left only as an interesting attempt at a good thriller. There were a lot of low budget horror films made during the eighties, many of which are now classics - but this film feels more like a seventies movie, and that's not a good thing as the paltry acting and low quality feel don't bode well with the ambitious plot line. The story follows a woman that is the only survivor of a plane crash. She is haunted by a feeling that her doctor describes as 'sole survivor syndrome', but it turns out that she actually should have died in the crash; and the powers that be have sent their minions to get rid of her.
The film gets off to a strong start, and writer-director Thom Eberhardt seems keen to explore all the implications of the central idea. However, it soon goes downhill as the film never really gets going, and most of the ideas don't end up being fully explored, which is a shame. The film does benefit from a continually creepy atmosphere, which bodes well with the central plot in that it makes the finished piece more horrifying. It's always obvious that the film has been made on a shoestring, however, and the director never really makes any attempt to mask this, which is disappointing. The acting isn't exactly brilliant, but it's one of the better things about the piece, and Anita Skinner does well at heading a cast of other unknowns. Eberhardt's script is good in that it manages to give credence to its characters as well, which ends up making the film more credible as we are given a reason to care about the plight of the lead character. Overall, Sole Survivor isn't essentially a 'bad' film; but it is extremely disappointing in that it could have been a lot better.
The film gets off to a strong start, and writer-director Thom Eberhardt seems keen to explore all the implications of the central idea. However, it soon goes downhill as the film never really gets going, and most of the ideas don't end up being fully explored, which is a shame. The film does benefit from a continually creepy atmosphere, which bodes well with the central plot in that it makes the finished piece more horrifying. It's always obvious that the film has been made on a shoestring, however, and the director never really makes any attempt to mask this, which is disappointing. The acting isn't exactly brilliant, but it's one of the better things about the piece, and Anita Skinner does well at heading a cast of other unknowns. Eberhardt's script is good in that it manages to give credence to its characters as well, which ends up making the film more credible as we are given a reason to care about the plight of the lead character. Overall, Sole Survivor isn't essentially a 'bad' film; but it is extremely disappointing in that it could have been a lot better.