The Midnight After (2014)

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

This movie is great at first, makes you wonder what will happen to the passengers on the bus, then ends telling you nothing. This was set up to be a great horror movie, but fell flat. 17 people get on a bus, and once the bus leaves a tunnel, they are the only ones left, everyone vanishes. You watch then try to survive their empty world and just when you think you'll get some answers......they roll the credits. This was kind-of a waste of time, could've been a great movie, but it has no ending.

This is along the lines of classic disaster suspense movies. A bus full of people discover they are the only ones left in the world. There are a few scenes that'll make you bend over with laughter. Some scenes that you just go "yeah right". Some of the dialog is forced and corny, some of it interesting. The acting however never really carries over. A remake with better acting and script might be a really interesting movie. I give it a 6 just because of some of the scenes are worth watching just for those scenes and the general idea of the movie even if it never really gets there, is a good one. The movie was probably inspired by stories and movies like The Langoliers, Vanishing on 7th st, and so on. Same basic concept. Everyone is gone except them and the attempt to solve the mystery.

The movie itself start off very mysterious and it maintains that mystery all through the end. And while I haven't read or seen the story this is based on, therefor cannot comment on similarities, I can say even from far away, that this movie loves analogies. And it dares its viewers to think and is not just an entertainment piece.While very violent and strangely funny at times, it will be hard to keep track of events if you don't keep up with it. The actors are all amazing and while dialog choices might feel benign and without meaning in general, I'm pretty sure you can get a lot from even the simplest exchange. The Hong Kong allegory and everything that comes with it (uncertainty and more) was not an easy thing to achieve. It's not being seen lightly upon making stories that are political or have a strong message. Which makes this movie even more powerful ... if you are into this thing. Obviously not everyone is, though try not to get personal, if you don't like a movie ... Tastes are different, especially when it comes to something that is artfully done, but maybe not your thing

I found this ambivalent film most annoying. If I were from Hong Kong, would I have gotten any more messages than I did as a foreigner? The first blow to this film is that the director and screenwriter do not know how to translate some serialized web stories into a coherent film. Without a coherent story and theme, no believability is established. Disbelief is not suspended, and exposed throughout. If a message is to be delivered, they have lost their audience right after the first 30 minutes. The audience simply gives up caring. Characters, supposed to be rich and various, do not matter to them, even with so many background stories laid down. The second blow is a real bad mix of suspense and humour. I feel like watching an unstable storyteller who can't keep his or her pace. One minute there is a hope, then another minute, dashed. The third point is an absolutely unnecessary length of over two hours. Too long of a half-cooked film turns the audience against it. Dialogue and sub-stories should have been made concise, and helped the flow of the storytelling. I have a feeling that director Fruit Chan must have written or re-written the script as he went along. Otherwise it would not look like a film made by a drunk. Hong Kong films are usually with certain standards. Their low-graded films are usually not so low. But this film by Fruit Chan is a few notches lower than the usual. Not recommended.