Have A Nice Apocalypse - Southland Tales

Director: Richard Kelly
Starring: Sarah Michelle Geller, Sean William Scott, Dwayne Johnson, Justin Timberlake

Most films would suffer from preconceptions brought on by their cast of characters, and I know many people may be put off seeing Southland Tales because of that very reason, however, I suggest strongly that whatever your feelings in regards to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson or Justin Timberlake, this is a film defiantly worth seeing.

If you enter these films believing Johnson or Timberlake (or any of the other cast for that matter) are unable to act, or that this film does not suit their strengths, if you watch it with those preconceptions in mind, then you will be blown away. All of the cast give great performances, and this is a film defiantly worth seeing.

Based on a modern day version of the book of revelations, Southland Tales tells the story of the end of the world; hence the tagline "Have a Nice Apocalypse." Anyone who has seen Kelly’s Donnie Darko will enjoy Southland Tales, as will others who haven’t seen the aforementioned film, Southland Tales manages to incorporate into this tale of the end of the world every aspect of modern life, often poking fun at those involved, as well as making a sort of political statement along the way.

The use of technology to survey America with the use of identity cards in order to stop terrorism (sound familiar anyone?) after a second Terrorist attack on the USA reflects the very real fear in both America and the United Kingdom, whilst at the same time pointing out what a stupid and pointless process the constant surveillance is, is reminiscent of 1984. Kelly uses the ideological opposites in politics to make fun of both sides of the political spectrum, showing the extreme Liberals and extreme Conservatives; he also uses the current obsession with celebrity culture to emphasis how we’re falling into a hole, the war in the middle east plays a major part, as well as the use of Homeland Security; no topic is safe in Southland Tales from ridicule and all of these components play a part in the end of the world.

The film requires your whole attention, some of it can be confusing, and often things that don’t make sense are left until the end of the film to be explained. Southland Tales is a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat, it’ll make you laugh before you realize that this is what we are slowly leading up to.

Have a nice apocalypse.