Unrelenting

Rating: 3/10 (3 January 2011)

Firstly, I can see what one of the reviewers here is getting at when they write of seeing this on the BIG screen. If this is how I watched maybe - and it is a BIG maybe - it would have been a lot of fun. But I didn't.
Tried to watch this last night and yes, the special effects are great. However, after 45 minutes I had this feeling of being at an endless New Year's Eve party - go go go go! Let's have fun! Don't let the punters get bored by taking a breath and actually giving them some half decent story telling. I like end of the world dystopian survival stories - perhaps to the point where a shrink might have concerns about my state of mind, but this got, well, just boring to be honest.
Cardboard cut out stereotypical characters - you will have seen these cut outs in many a big block buster before. For example:
Groovy, but faintly useless absent dad whose kids are being brought up by a sensible professional - Check.
Ex - wife who still loves him really - Check.
Young son who loves his mobile phone and his step father - Check.
Young cute daughter who adores her dad - Check.
Groovy but faintly useless dad who has to rise to the challenge of being a hero - Check.
Lots and lots and lots of NOISE - Check.
Overacting 'comic relief' character - Check. (Woody Harrelson - well, let's just say I cringed)
If this is your bag - and clearly a lot of people love these kind of films - then go ahead and enjoy it. Just don't expect anything of the calibre of say '28 Days Later.'
If you want characters who are vaguely realistic and therefore making their attempts to survive all the more riveting, then give this a miss. Like me, you will not only get bored but will feel a migraine coming on....
As I say, this is only my personal opinion. You either enjoy this kind of film, or you don't. Either way, hope this description gives you some idea of just what you are letting yourself in for.