3 Short Paragraphs: After

2012, Ryan Smith -- Netflix

Remember that episode of Star Trek: the Next Generation where Beverly Crusher is trapped in an ever shrinking universe, created by Wesley? No? Just me then.  Well, this movie shares a similar idea, with two people awakening after a bus crash, in their hometown but all alone. And the town is surrounded by a cloud ("hey cool, its the mists of Ravenloft") of darkness that is ever shrinking towards the centre of town. Wesley Crusher has nothing to do with it this time. But you can still blame him if you want.

This is one of those movies where you pretty much guess the premise instantly. Remember, there was a bus crash, so, duh its connected. You are going to blurt out immediately they are either dead already (Purgatory) or in a coma. Smith knows that, so its not the explanation thats the point but the mythology of the world they are now in, that matters. One of the characters is a "graphic novel creator", dismissed by the pretty girl he is trapped with. Yes, the movie is very Mary Sue.

Its a decent enough supernatural thriller. Tension is nice, acting is capable and plotting is OK. But it focuses too much on how the characters are supposed to be connected, without either of them being, well, attracted to each other. He is a bit of a dick, and she is a bit of a "norm" who dismisses comic book artists. Yeah yeah, connection through trauma, but all that does is cement that the only way he could get a girl like her is if they go through something terrible together. I suggest people leave those kind of plots in fanfic and not in motion picture releases.