Homestead

**_What happens to society when the bomb inevitably drops?_**

This is the pilot movie for an ensuing series based on the Dark August books. Since I’m not interested in the TV series, I’m reviewing this as a standalone film. It comes in the tradition of post-nuclear war movies like “Testament” and “The Sum of All Fears” mixed with the spirituality of, say, the “Left Behind” flicks, just not as overt on that front.

It works as far as giving you a glimmer of what it will be like: Suddenly, people will be drawn to the wisdom of preppers rather than writing them off as conspiracy nutjobs. I liked the rising tension between the owner of the homestead (Neal McDonough) and the head of security (Bailey Chase), as well as a great standoff between the homesteaders and a dubious govt detachment.

I also appreciated the moral conundrum: Do you just protect your own and shut everyone else out or do you try to help as many as you reasonably can without seriously diminishing your chances of survival? Obviously the latter, but where do you draw the line, especially when desperate lives are at stake? When the proverbial sheet hits the fan, each person is expected to offer something worthwhile to the community and, if they can’t, you of course wouldn’t need them or want them.

Speaking of which, I appreciated how the ending focuses on the positive in a challenging situation amidst great tragedy. This sets it apart from more nihilistic post-apocalyptic flicks like “Carriers” and “The Road.”

The fact that it’s a movie that sets up a series reveals its weakness for those not interested in seeing the ensuing episodes: Some characters and their relationships are established, but there’s no payoff and therefore these subplots feel incomplete. Fans of the series or books will naturally appraise “Homestead” higher than me.

As for the criticisms that this is “Christian propaganda,” get real. The Ross family are ostensibly believers and so there’s like one prayer sequence involving the teen girl. Whoopee. In other words, the spirituality is underdone rather than overdone. Have you ever noticed that no one accuses ultra-glum flicks like the aforementioned “Carriers” and “The Road” of being “atheistic propaganda”?

It runs 1h 38m before the overlong end credits roll, which happen to acknowledge every single donor. It was shot in Los Angeles and (mostly) Bountiful, Utah, which is located 15 miles north of Salt Lake City.

GRADE: B-