The concept of the apocalypse has been around since the dawn of our species, but it seems to have garnered a new lease on life over the past fifteen years. While stories like The Walking Dead and 28 Days Later have made a mark, many of the most recent releases in the genre have veered toward fantastic monsters. Therefore, I sought out something a little more original in the form of The Domestics.
To keep it short and sweet, it’s not perfect, but you might like it!
The Cast Is Okay.
All too often, apocalyptic stories live and die on the strength of its cast. Fortunately, The Domestics does a good job of keeping things simple.
The film focuses almost all of its attention on Mark (Tyler Hoechlin) and Nina West (Kate Bosworth), which is both a benefit and a risk. I think that both characters are perfectly likable people who are trying to do the right thing. However, the biggest problem with this arrangement is that the film runs the risk of collapsing if a viewer doesn’t feel the same way. It’s all in the eye of the beholder.
On the downside, the supporting cast is almost paper thin. The only actor that truly stands out in this road trip is Lance Reddick, and that’s largely because the writers slipped an unnerving little twist into the mix. I’m not going to spoil it for you here, so you’ll have to watch the movie to see what happens!
The Plot Is Extremely Basic, But That’s Okay.
A road movie may not be to everyone’s liking, but I think that the overall simplicity of the story is one of the film’s greatest assets.
In the aftermath of an America that has been devastated by war, society has devolved into a game of survival between lawless gangs and the titular faction. Nina’s parents haven’t answered their radio in a while, so Nina and Mark set off on a road trip to Milwaukee in order to figure out what’s going on.
Most of the time, any deficiencies in characterization are typically overshadowed by a wonderful sense of worldbuilding. All of the gangs have their own aesthetic, but the best one out of them all has to be The Gamblers. As the name implies, almost all of their affairs are governed by games of chance, which adds a lot of extra tension to the story.
And most important of all, the film is punctuated by some great action sequences that amp up the tension. Most of them are not as gory as your average horror movie, but they do give Hoechlin and Bosworth a chance to show off a bit and have some fun. The film definitely earns its R rating, but it has a good time doing so!
The Framing Could Have Used Some Work.
One minor fault that I should talk about comes from how the film frames its apocalypse.
At the start of the film, Nina tells us about the initial downfall of society in bits and pieces. At some point, America was attacked by chemical-spewing aircraft, which implies that the country was at war. However, we are given no indication of a response or the subsequent state of the world. This is rather odd because it implies that none of the planes were shot down and nuclear weapons were not used, even though those would be the most logical steps forward.
Then again, the filmmakers might have skipped out on the details in order to avoid comparisons to other media franchises.
Your mileage may vary, dear reader.
Conclusion.
The Domestics is not a perfect movie, but it has more than enough going for it to be worth your time. The main characters are likable, the story is effective, and most of the worldbuilding covers up any holes that one might find in the story. And above all else, it’s a ton of fun to watch!
If you’re in the mood for a popcorn thriller, give it a shot!
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