Aftershock

A bunch of tourists are in Chile to party, but when an earthquake hits the city, they need to fight for survival, not only against the natural disaster, but also against criminals who seized the opportunity to escape from prison.

I would have rated 'Aftershock' higher than 6 of 10 if it wasn't for the boring first 30 minutes. We get introduced to characters who are so dumb that we really wouldn't care if they all get buried by the earthquake. This lengthy introduction turns out to be a waste of time, anyway, because some of them are killed off early, while other characters who are more important for the movie get 3 seconds of back story ('Trust me, I'm a firefighter').

However, after the quake it gets thrilling, violent, suspenseful with a lot of action, which made the movie worth watching after all. I was not surprised to learn in the making of (watched on DVD) that several of the makers of 'Aftershock' have previous experience in comedy rather than horror, it's the timing of some scenes that tells it. For example the lady who shows the tunnel and then makes the mistake to stick her head first - that's the 'oops' timing of a comedy, not a horror movie. But it works and makes the movie more original. Also the background with a catastrophe that destroys the usual human behaviour so quickly is believable. Not too bad after all, but I recommend to press fast forward at the beginning.

I would not call this a horror film. A dark disaster film is more appropriate. The film is fun, lively and well done and acted. If not for a oddly timed and inappropriate character reveal that just makes you scratch your head and go huh? It was fun. The reveal was not even needed, especially when it did happen. It literally took me out of the film until it was resolved.

If your looking for something on the dark end, with horror type feel then check it out. It was good. It flowed really well and made sense how the characters got from one place to another. Well structured and honest.

This is my first review and will try to keep it as short as possible because, hating to bust on any aspiring authors or critics out there most of us don't read the long reviews. There's no need to write a 2,000 word synopsis on any movie,show or whatever here, IMDb already does that for us. We just wanna know if it's any good or not.... oops I guess there goes keeping this short.

Anyways, I just watched it this morning so while it's fresh in my mind, is this movie any good?

If you like horror, action and/or adventure (along the line of Jaws, though this is no Jaws) you might enjoy this. It has its action, experiencing and trying to escape the earthquake. It's got its scary, borderline intense moments of terror and lots'a blood n' gore. Oh yeah and bonus, some annoying hipsters get killed! Add in a couple of "didn't see that coming" plot twists, a fun ending and you may start moving towards the edge of your seat but, I don't think you'll make it all the way there.

Bottom line, it's not a particularly moving piece of cinema but,if you got an hour and a half to kill and you're not paying for it (like me I caught it on cable) It's still better than a lot of the other crap I've seen lately on TV so it's coming in at a solid, watchable but not earth-shaking 6

On their last night out a group of travellers find themselves fighting for survival when an earthquake devastates South America.

Probably due to an abundance of sub-par modern style horrors debatably 2012's Aftershock is sorely underrated and overlooked. Reminiscent of the character build up that came with Eli Roth's own Hostel director Nicolás López delivers a hard hitting freely traditionally shot (no found footage here) well executed, gritty disaster film which successfully shocks with its unnerving set ups and exceptional special effects.

The cast are on fine form Natasha Yarovenko as Irina,Lorenza Izzo (Kylie) and Nicolás Martínez and Pollock re notable with with Roth himself putting in a good innings as a nameless dad referred to as Gringo. While it is gratuitous it's fitting to the story and tone as with the aforementioned as the leads try to survive the earthquakes aftershocks falling buildings, collapsing tunnels and the social unrest which ensues by escapee prisoners before a tsunami hits Chile.

It's well paced with fine cinematography by Antonio Quercia and music Manuel Riviero helps it capture some of the original magic which Roth's first outing did. Even though the ending scene may come as no surprise there are a few twists to peak interest.

While not a horror in the traditional sense with graphic amputations, rape, drugs, a human torch, shooting and murders to name a few, granted it will make the regular viewer wince but it's well written and sharply directed by López - forget the endless copycat films of the same sub-genre if you rated Hostel and part 2 this sleeper isn't one to miss.

The movie starts with the setup we've all seen a billion times before: Some guys. Are annoying. Horny. Some girls. Are annoying. Horny. Have party. Drink. Try to sex. Good times. Then suddenly... an earthquake!

The tone shifts drastically and the world around them goes to hell in a hand-basket real quick. Decimated architecture, riots in the streets, prisoners escaping, warnings of an incoming tsunami, every man for himself, and no one is safe. Anyone can meet their untimely end when you least expect it, just like a real life disaster.

This may sound like an intense and nihilistic experience, but beneath the surface, the film sticks to the usual horror movie rules and holds back too much to be a truly effective shocker. In other words, it feels too "Hollywoodized". There's also a dumb twist towards the end. Even still, there's just enough carnage here to satisfy undemanding lovers of cinematic slime. A natural disaster movie that puts most of it's focus on animalistic human behavior rather than the flashy special effects could, and should, have been a lot better.