Review: ‘The Rover’ gives us a dark look at our possible future

Posted on June 27, 2014

Summer is blockbuster season, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some interesting limited-release pictures thrown into the mix as well. They say variety is the spice of life and when I saw the trailer for director David Michôd’s film, “The Rover,” I was intrigued.

Featuring a “Mad Max” aesthetic, the movie is set in the Australian Outback 10 years after the “collapse,” which is never explained. This is a movie that lives right amidst the dark and dirty world left before by civilization’s collapse, and neither it nor its characters seem much inclined to do anything but survive.  There is some artistic merit to the performances and even the presentation, but this is not a film you go into looking for a bit of cheap entertainment.

Most people will leave this film shaking their heads wondering about better ways to spend two hours of their lives. But credit has to be given when credit is due, and “The Rover,” is a film that deserves some credit. And in case you’re wondering, we do find out why Eric is so determined to get his car back.

The film is rated R for language and some bloody violence.

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