Post-apocalyptic horror flicks seem to have become more and more derivative of late, especially when zombies or other mutated baddies are the cause for societal collapse. For every 28 Days Later, there’s an overabundance of knock-offs jockeying for space on your favorite streaming service. While Mathieu Turi’s Hostile steals pages from some of the best films of this genre (including Mad Max: Fury Road, The Road, and elements of The Terminator), the filmmaker does take some unique chances by weaving back and forth in time and ratcheting up the scares by staging much of the action within the confined space of a ruined van. However, Turi flies too close to the sun in the final part of the third act, bringing the flick down with an unfortunate, resonating thud.
“…leg impaled by the steering wheel and her pistol out of reach…that’s when the monsters come out.”
The film opens with a young woman, in full Furiosa garb, crisscrossing an arid environment in her battered van in search of supplies. Obviously, something horrible has occurred as the landscape is barren and scarred, devoid of life except the other occasional scavenger and the dreaded reapers (not the Harry Potter kind) — horribly disfigured creatures who prey upon those caught unawares in the wasteland. Just in case you weren’t paying attention, she whisks past a “Welcome To…” road sign spray painted with the warning “All Dead” in macabre letters, driving the point home. Juliette, as we come to know her name, is on her way back from a supply run when a freak accident occurs, causing her van to crash and land dramatically upside down. With her leg impaled by the steering wheel and her pistol out of reach, help from her never seen compatriots is denied just as night begins to fall. And, like in most children’s fairy tales, that’s when the monsters — in this case, the reapers — come out.
As all this well-paced action unfolds, the filmmaker constantly shifts in time, filling out Juliette’s backstory. As a pretty young woman crashing Manhattan art gallery openings for free food and booze, this Juliette is also a drug dealer, addict, and prostitute — like Jessica Jones without the super-powers and more heroin. As fate would have it, at one of these art galleries, she encounters Jack — a tall, dark, and handsome French art-gallery owner who is straight from a central casting call for “Eurotrash boyfriend.” (I swear, I could smell the Drakkar-Noir wafting off him each time he appeared onscreen.) But, I digress. Jack dashes in as Juliette’s knight in shining armor, helping her get clean and leave her sordid life behind. They wed, shack up in a new house, and begin a life of domestic bliss. However, in a one-two punch of misfortune, Juliette miscarries, which upends the couple’s relationship, and Jack is the victim of a terrorist chemical attack.
the movie is very disorganized. no information about why it became a post-apocalyptic world. the movie logline was about an epidemic that caused a post-apocalyptic settings but it wasnt even shown or explained in the movie. No info as to why “Jack” turned into that freak. I was also wondering why a creature like Jack who already evolved into a man-eating flesh still recognizes her old flame Juliette.
LOVED THE MOVIE!!! WANT TO KNOW IF JULIETTE LIVED OR DIES AT THE END THOUGH, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!
Ok so a rich handsome art dealer falls for a hooker junkie? Ok it’s a bit like ‘pretty woman’. I should have bailed early, but I stayed optimistic til the end; remained hopeful there would be something redeeming. There wasn’t!
Perhaps it was writers cramp, maybe it was over budget, but that ending was cheesy and unsatisfying. Plenty of flashbacks providing useless details. No info is given about the apocalypse or zombie husband.
We get it, he’s a special kind of dreamboat. He puts Richard Gere to shame. She’s keeps thinking about him, then suddenly, coincidentally, conveniently, he’s there? Yes he’s still following her, and loving her, even as a zombie creature. Hes not hungry for flesh? He just wanted a hug?
I’m a zombie movie enthusiast and found this particular film to be fresh despite the obvious cliche’s. Throughout the movie I wondered why a creature with enough strength to crush a man’s scull would be patient with the one legged meal that awaited it? Of course the creature was Jack! He had far too many opportunities to gobble her up and clearly stuck around for other reasons.
The movie was great, the flashbacks helped to create a beautiful narrative in a post apocalyptic world where beauty is hard pressed to be found.
My mom and I were having I contest on who can find the worst movie to watch… I WON with this gem.
I mean, when the Eurotrash Zombie Boyfriend did the Face/Off hand thing I DIED. But seriously though, I could have done without all the flashbacks.
I actually enjoyed this movie more than I expected and I was surprised and pleased at the ending. I found Brittany Ashworth very watchable from beginning to end. Her look of frailty had me captured.
As usual I have read a few other reviews, some positive some not but I would watch it again to see the reaper who stalked her, a bit like ‘I see dead people’ … Personally I thought the director Mathieu Turi Did an excellent job. Best movie I have watched in a while. I will watch again.
The creature was Jack at the end ..because he done that face thing on her and said jack
just watched for the 1st time-well sorta watched. I was playing candy crush thru the entire movie and wasn’t paying close attention. I’m hoping that’s the reason the ending was so damn confusing. I saw the part when Juliette went back to the hospital to visit Jack again and he was not there which gave the impression that he was dead. If that were the case, what was the deal at the end? if he wasn’t dead, where tf was he? had he been discharged? Couldn’t have been because hospital staff would have told her when she got there. I’m so damn confused and have no desire to watch this again. I need a written summary of this movie in the shortest form possible.🤣🤣
This is the second time I’ve watched this movie. I love this movie. I didn’t know if the creature was Jack or not. But I read a review that said he was.
For some reason this movie touched me enough to be one of my favorites..
If the creature was Jack how did he become a zombie,I didn’t enjoy the ending it was confusing, if he hadn’t touched her face,it would have been nice ,in all it’s quite interesting
Juliet visit the hospital and found an empty bed, The audience needed and deserved a clue that these mass gas murders left a bunch of curiously transformed survivors. The viewers would’ve had something tasty To sink your teeth into rest of the movie. The director also could’ve had plenty of creative, hair pulling, choices to close the movie.
How exactly does one “impale a leg on the steering wheel”? Inquiring minds want to know.
I just watched this film for the first time and wholeheartedly agree with this review. The ending all but ruined the movie for me. Come on, really? Zombie Jack seemed capable to communicate non-malicious intent in any number of ways, right?? So I get he can’t but help eat a guy’s head in front of her, but creepily bending over and staring at Juliette trapped in the van and then running towards her….what’s protective and affectionate about this? I almost wanted Zombie Jack to be just a zombie in the end with some beautiful respect to the end of another creature’s life, bringing us back to the Francis Bacon theme.
horrible movie. Boring. She just happens to wreck right where her baby daddy dwells and he saves her life.
Terrible ending indeed. Let’s also pass on the fact that her eurotrash boyfriend first stalked her, followed her without any permission or consent, then abducted her and of course forced kiss her so its oh so romantic. Every freaking terrible nauseating romance tropes ever, stacked with the cliche twist in the end. You have got to ask how in the world did her fiance just happen to be there, also how in his state did he recognize her ?? And fought his predatory instinct ? That makes 0 sense but hey.
Why was the ending unbelievable? If watched it again, you would realise that the creature didn’t really want to kill her, but just wanted to get closer to her. In fact, the creature was keeping watch over her the whole time. The creature has immense strength (crushed a guy’s head with just 1 stomp) and could’ve just ripped that 4wd apart to get to her, but it didn’t. It all makes sense once you realise why it didn’t want to kill her.
Jack just happened to be the creature that comes upon her wrecked in the desert? Really? You don’t think that that’s too much? Come on…. Horrible ending. Decent movie up until the face touch. Smh.
Exactly
So let me see if i understand you: the ENDING was too unbelievable for you, but you had no problem with the whole post-apocalyptic zombie premise before that?
Sheesh, it wasn’t THAT bad. In fact it was a lot better than I expected. In a genre filled with cliches, I found the ending to be a nice surprise actually.
Dumbest movie ending since Thelma & Louise.
It sure was a kinda crazy a*s ending, ,I want to know how did jack get from the hospital to the desert and become all disfigured , I realized it was a terrorist Chem attack but what happened to him next,,otherwise it was a good movie and the ending was so,so sad.