A Riveting Journey Through a Post-Apocalyptic World
Taking place after a mysterious sickness wipes out most of the Earth’s population, ‘Earth Abides’ brings fans closer to young Isherwood ‘Ish’ Williams played by Alexander Ludwig. When Ish is left alone to survive the world’s demise, he becomes tasked with starting civilization all over again with a group of people in a world that seems created to challenge human strength and ethics.
In simple terms, ‘Earth Abides’ is a novel about survival. The series raises questions on issues like community rebuilding, leadership, moral values and the essence of being human in the face of despair. The movie has a rather melancholic feel, but also contains a lot of hope: the picture of people’s struggle in the face of loss.
Alexander Ludwig does a great job with portraying Ish: he is both a leader, and a boy, who fights for both, his people and himself. A quite powerful and touching performance can be noticed in the show, supported by Jessica Frances Dukes. The cast as a whole is quite good in capturing the emotions of characters as they try to come to terms with their new way of life.
The characters are brought to life by talented Bronwen Hughes, Stephen S. Campanelli, and Rachel Leiterman that create a mix between drama and sci-fi which easily adapts to the television series from the book.
The tone of the show is well complemented by its music – dark at The visual appearance adds to the events, depicting beautiful and depressing scenes of the post apocalyptic world perfectly.
The production design is well done, creating a world that feels vast and small at the same time which complements the themes of societal collapse and rebuild rather well.
The use of special effects holds are reasonable, However, well thought out writing and excellent character portrayal explain its slow pace.
The depth that is taken by Earth Abides in telling the story makes the pace justifiable. This chime rings loud and brings into focus issues of survival and existence amidst constant cyclical transformation. An adventure worth taking for all the lovers of fresh and engaging science-fiction movies.
