Review of Z for Zachariah (2015) by Robbie K — 22 Aug 2017

It must be stated that this movie's User Rating of 6.1 and Metascore of 68 do not do it any justice. As the rating are usually a pretty fair indicator of a movies quality, I went in expecting a decent movie but perhaps nothing exceptional. Now, after having watched it, I am happy to report that it far surpassed my initial expectations.

First and foremost the acting in this movie is superb. Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave, gives an absolutely spectacular performance (again). He is rapidly becoming one of my favorite actors to date. He has moments of beautiful reserve but you can always feel the fire brewing down inside. Awesome, just awesome stuff. Margot Robbie, The Wolf of Wallstreet, sheds the Brooklyn accent and personality and absolutely shines as the shy southern beauty in this film. She too is rapidly showing her wonderful acting chops and presenting herself as a force to be reckoned with. She makes a seamless transition from a supporting role in Wolf, to starring opposite Chiwetel here. The icing on the cake in this film is Chris Pine's performance. He shows that he is much more than a dreamy Captain Kirk in the Star Trek reboots. This is by far my favorite performance of his. It just feels human. kudos.

The direction was beautiful. While this movie is technically considered Sci-Fi, Mr. Zobel does an outstanding job making this into a character study. He balances the actors performances beautifully and the film is a perfectly trimmed piece of lean meat. Not once does it drag or feel rushed. The characters and story develop organically and its a mesmerizing thing to follow. The cinematography by Tim Orr also needs mentioning. Orr captures some enchanting nature shots that really play nicely into the story.

Beyond all the obvious technical triumphs of this film, I think that perhaps my favorite part may be the sheer depth of the story. I'll avoid specifics on the plot, as I don't want to risk throwing out any spoilers but its suffice to say that this certainly is not a run of the mill love story. There are a lot of religious elements, a lot of nature and mankind talking points, and philosophical debates that will leave you thinking long after the credits role. Overall, I was more than pleasantly surprised by this wonderful film. I would absolutely recommend it.