Excellent pacing

Rating: 9/10 (30 December 2018)

This films sits between the horror and the action genres. It navigates this really strongly as an adventure. The switching between the past and present is not a style I normally like but it works very well for this film.
The point of this story is not the invisible monsters or who makes it. I can see why some people may be thinking that these are the important parts because most films of this style hyperfocus on those things to build the tension. The problem with those stories is that they are very shallow - either the characters you most identify with live or die and well, that's about all there is to it. What makes this film so much stronger is that really it's all about Bullock's character arc. She goes from considering letting go of her own child for adoption to being a mother of a child that isn't ever hers.
This might seem trivial or trite but I think that we should celebrate this type of film more. It is about looking down the barrel of human nature and understanding how it works by looking at how it reacts in unusual situations. Bullock's character softens and at critical times you can see how she is not just trying to do the right thing because it is expected of her, but because she loves the children. And whilst the final part of the tension is a little forced, you can see from her pleading (and some excellent acting) what the children mean to her. She doesn't change the story - the story changes her.
There are a few elements that let the film down a bit, but you often find this in film adaptations that struggle to get all the narrative into a faster paced medium. But one thing that should be celebrated is that all the characters act as intelligently (or more so) than you expect of them. Especially in the 'present day' sections which they have had 5 years to hone their survival skills. Small touches like this really add to the immersion, especially when in so many films characters have to act incredibly stupidly to advance the plot.
In summary it doesn't matter from the opening scenes that you can work out things that have yet to happen in the film, and it doesn't matter that we never really understand what the enemy is. What matters is how people act in trying times, and the story of the lead character's development.