Now available on Netflix
In The Last House, a man’s worst nightmare comes true: he is trapped with wife and kids for an undetermined amount of time. In the sci-fi genre, the movie works best as a survival thriller and less so as an alien invasion story.
A true direct-to-Netflix movie, The Last House is almost really good but not quite there. Wagner Moura and Greta Lee turn in terrific, arguably overly committed performances, elevating the material beyond what this film actually deserves. As they and their kids discover that a mysterious rain has sealed them and their neighbors (the entire world?) in their respective houses, they go through the motions to maintain a semblance of normalcy—and then adapt to survive where food and materials are scarce.
As long as The Last House operates like this, focusing on the family’s efforts to tough it out and the drama that comes along with being trapped together for a torturous amount of time, it hums. Director Louis Leterrier maintains a steady pace, a good level of variety in the circumstances they face, and a moderate amount of suspense with occasional reminders that something wicked lurks outside.
But as is so often the case with high-concept thrillers, the journey is more rewarding than the destination. The third act isn’t bad per se—it’s executed well, with strong action and creatures you wouldn’t expect outside of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. However, the climax clashes so heavily with the rest of the movie it’s hard not to be disappointed. I would have rather seen the family slowly die of starvation than the direction it takes; yes, that’s an extreme take, but it would have felt more honest than what Leterrier, working from a screenplay by Matthew Robinson, does here.
Worse, the movie leans too far into explaining things only not to explain things enough. Mild spoilers ahead. Are the aliens from space, or are they invaders from the sea? Were they good guys or bad guys? Why did the creatures take so long to attack? The turning point in the film’s final moments—why did they end up saving each other? I really don’t understand, and not in a positive way.
The Last House is a worthwhile Netflix-level watch, but it’s hard not to walk away wishing it weren’t wildly different.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.