On the one hand, Tom Woodruff, Jr.'s name carries no small weight in the film-making industry, with a long list of acclaimed credits in special effects; that this is accordingly only the second feature he has chosen to direct surely says something (good). On the other hand, that Uncork'd Entertainment is attached in any way (as distributor in this case) is a bad warning sign, as they have been involved in too much dreck below the level of The Asylum. I'm not familiar with writers Michael Hayes or Brian Lubocki, but I see that 'End of days' follows from a short film sharing the 'Fire City' moniker, so I presume this picture is a bit of a passion project for them. Before the film has even properly begun these are all facets to greet our attention, and from there it could go either way. As the runtime progresses, that push and pull of conflicting vibes is kind of sustained, for this movie is an odd mixed bag. I do like it, on the balance, but I'm not sure that even it quite knew entirely what it wanted to be.
It takes most of the first thirty minutes for the picture to start to give a concrete sense of what it's about. Such plot development isn't abnormal; the extent to which the story threads are scattered and disparate, and the distinct effort to obfuscate real plot in the interval, is. Once we do get to that earnest narrative, I recognize some enticing ideas and potential. I actually very much like what Hayes and Lubocki have whipped up: demons secretly living in the human world, feeding off misery, and suddenly there comes a disruption to that parasitic relationship. What's strange is that in some measure the concept feels like one better suited for PG-13 or even PG-level dark fantasy - it could be orientated toward more mature audiences, and in this case it unquestionably is owing simply to blood, gore, violence, nudity, and the distinct intonation of bleak themes. Yet even for such inclusions, there's a cheeky, almost ham-handed levity and playfulness that would feel at home more in a feature for a younger audience than it does here. To that point, in the way that the genre elements manifest and in that incomplete balance of feelings, I'm reminded somewhat of Clive Barker's 'Nightbreed,' which bore a similar tone. Here, however, the mashup of discrete horror and dark fantasy facets with any more lighthearted notions doesn't come off quite the same way.
None of this is to say that 'Fire City' is bad; not at all! Not only do I like it, as I said, but I also think it's actually pretty good! Woodruff shows capable skill as a director, arranging shots and scenes and guiding his cast, and as one should expect of features he's involved with, the visuals are rather excellent. The special makeup and costume design for the demons' appearances are rich and flavorful (the biggest point of comparison with 'Nightbreed,' for what it's worth), and blood and gore look great. Other effects both practical and digital are just as swell, and I love the production design and art direction, the use of lighting, and Danny Grunes' mindful cinematography. Even restricted almost entirely to the setting of a single apartment building, the film is rounded out with splendid detail in others ways, including scene writing and the narrative at large. This also does a fine job of suggesting a larger lore to the universe that isn't fully explained, giving us just enough information to meaningfully propel and enrich the plot without going overboard on expository dialogue.
Still, I can very much understand how this has limited appeal broadly speaking; above all, the flavors don't quite mix in the ideal way - horror, dark fantasy, mystery, drama, thriller, all a loose and heterogeneous blend. Furthermore, in addition to the central plot, it almost seems at some points like there are scant threads that don't quite fit, or that are too much for this one feature - they could have been explored more fully, perhaps, but not without sacrificing integrity of the movie as it is. As a prime example, the overflow of plot we get in the last ten minutes or so, explaining the course of events, is so substantial as to be overbearing, and in a fraction of the runtime the title suddenly feels significantly imbalanced from out of nowhere. One unfortunate side effect of the elaborate makeup and prosthetics that actors wear is that their performances necessarily involve no small amount of chewing of scenery to speak and emote through their costumes. Among those portraying demons, there's no one this doesn't impact, and it's only a question of degrees from one to the next; I admit bias since I like her anyway (and she's the only cast member here I'm familiar with at all), but I'm inclined to think Danielle C. Ryan, portraying (demon) Cornelia, achieves the best results under these circumstances - kudos to her!
The result is a picture that I think is much stronger than not, but which plainly struggles to stir all its varied parts together. It also altogether tries to do too much in too small a span of time; maybe if this were more than just a single feature the assemblage could have been teased out to more complete and productive ends. What I see is a strong sophomore directorial effort from Woodruff, and intelligence from Hayes and Lubocki - intelligence, and maybe ambition that needed to be tempered in this instance. I see a fine cast that is restricted by the material or perhaps literally and physically by their costumes and character designs; I see contributions from all those working behind the scenes that are terrific, though in light of those ways in which the film more or less bites off more than it can chew, such work to realize it also ends up feeling like A Bit Much. When all is said and done I do think 'Fire City: End of days' earns a soft recommendation, even as I get why it won't meet everyone's preferences. My enthusiasm would be greater had only the screenplay been tightened, shedding some of the storytelling ideas to be more tightly focused.
Ah well. A good show of it; just too overflowing with ideas and flavors for its own good.
