For a post-apocalyptic movie, The Well has the environment right. It's entirely set in rustic desert settlement where water has become a rare commodity. The lead female character is certainly identifiable, and Haley Hu Richardson's good performance makes it easy to root for the girl survivor. However, the narrative might be lacking and some parts of the movie are irritatingly flawed such as the hazy scene when it's dark and its increasing number of inconsistent details towards the end.
The world is suffering from perpetual dry season as the rain stops pouring. This unfortunate calamity has changed the city into just a few barren houses and the people into vagrants. Kendal (Haley Hu Richardson) is one of the survivors and she has to deal with the barren wasteland as well as some of its volatile occupants. While the lead is pretty good on her own, majority of the supporting characters might not be appealing to audiences.
The film intents to draw sympathy as Kendal is struggling for her survival as she ventures into the real equipped with boldness and occasional luck. The film succeeds on doing so, but only partially. The little boy character seems off putting as he is detached from any interaction. If this is an attempt for a strong lone wolf character, the result is far from that. Dean as a sick companion feels doomed and depressing from the start while some of the antagonist are too overbearing in their zealous quest.
Visual is pretty good, the movie plays with the setting to create a believable land plagued by drought. Color is mostly sandy brown with plenty of bright light for panoramic shots. Sadly, it doesn't translate well when the scenes turn to night time or any place covered by darkness. These are excessively vague and while these sequences are not that many, they are enough to hamper the quality.
Some details are jarring for the post-apocalyptic world, which is unfortunately since the movie invested a lot on the setting already. Female characters are looking like models, which is hard to believe when even basic need such as water is scarce. At some points Kendal is supposed to be stealthy, but she merely struts in an open field for all to see. Not to mention at latter half she becomes one woman army, dispatching foes with shotguns and a katana like it's a Walking Dead episode.
The Well delivers an intriguing premise with the teenage girl lead and it makes good use of the barren land, although the entirety of her journey might feel inconsistent and contrived.
The world is suffering from perpetual dry season as the rain stops pouring. This unfortunate calamity has changed the city into just a few barren houses and the people into vagrants. Kendal (Haley Hu Richardson) is one of the survivors and she has to deal with the barren wasteland as well as some of its volatile occupants. While the lead is pretty good on her own, majority of the supporting characters might not be appealing to audiences.
The film intents to draw sympathy as Kendal is struggling for her survival as she ventures into the real equipped with boldness and occasional luck. The film succeeds on doing so, but only partially. The little boy character seems off putting as he is detached from any interaction. If this is an attempt for a strong lone wolf character, the result is far from that. Dean as a sick companion feels doomed and depressing from the start while some of the antagonist are too overbearing in their zealous quest.
Visual is pretty good, the movie plays with the setting to create a believable land plagued by drought. Color is mostly sandy brown with plenty of bright light for panoramic shots. Sadly, it doesn't translate well when the scenes turn to night time or any place covered by darkness. These are excessively vague and while these sequences are not that many, they are enough to hamper the quality.
Some details are jarring for the post-apocalyptic world, which is unfortunately since the movie invested a lot on the setting already. Female characters are looking like models, which is hard to believe when even basic need such as water is scarce. At some points Kendal is supposed to be stealthy, but she merely struts in an open field for all to see. Not to mention at latter half she becomes one woman army, dispatching foes with shotguns and a katana like it's a Walking Dead episode.
The Well delivers an intriguing premise with the teenage girl lead and it makes good use of the barren land, although the entirety of her journey might feel inconsistent and contrived.