Unusually faithful adaptation

Rating: 8/10 (26 July 2005)

I am a little surprised to read the current user comment for the movie's main page that claims this was "plot by numbers".
To my mind, knowing the original book and the 1970s musical adaptation (we'll gloss over the B-movie version) this movie captured a lot of the real feelings of desolation and hopelessness that the original instilled.
Unlike in so many movies, this guy is scared and desperate! Unlike in so many movies, it doesn't look like the good guys will win...
Despite what you might expect at the beginning, the main characters don't try and play the hero... they try to run away and stay alive. That's all they can do, and that's what this movie is about. It's an altogether more sympathetic and realistic portrayal of the end of the world than we are used to seeing these days.
Regarding differences from the book: I don't quite understand the length of time that planning is supposed to have taken (I've been thinking about this a lot but the logic escapes me) and the very final scene was disappointing. I won't say more since I want this review to be spoiler-free.
But certainly a great movie, refreshingly different in story and feel.