Overall this was a very solid story that held some nice emotional depth between the main couple surviving the insanity with some fantastic action packed thrills , and truly awesome post apocalyptic atmosphere that was shot brilliantly. I definitely recommend this and predict it will become a realistic foretelling post apocalyptic cult classic. I loved that it was set in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.
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yogeshevolution8 January 2019This post apocalypse movie is good one. It has that right amount of thrill at right moments. You will feel like you have seen movies like it but trust me it is a good and fresh movie surely. A good watch for thriller fans.
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dfibuchuk-3279523 November 2018I don't really mind rubbish films, it passes the time. But what I don't get is how the wife is all like "I just want to hide and go home to mommy" for most of the movie, then she listens to some rock record, has a drink, shoots couple of rounds at a dummy and suddenly she's frigging Lara Croft shooting everyone and asking her husband to "cover me"! Her acting is just terrible and I seriously hate her character. Other than that movie was ok.
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awfulketchup30 June 2018So people kept telling me that this was The Purge meets Mad Max. I can't really say i'm a fan of The purge, but however i very much adore Mad Max and post-apocalyptic themes.
This movie was pretty damned fun to watch, they established all the different crazy factions out there and it weirdly enough fits together.
I dunno if i'm biased but to me this movie was a good time. Don't overthink it, just enjoy the damned ride.
7/10 -
deloudelouvain18 July 2018I don't know anything about the director Mike P. Nelson except that he was clearly inspired by movies that I loved when I was young. There is no doubt in my mind that he was inspired by The Warriors (1979) from Walter Hill and by Mad Max (1979) from George Miller. By The Warriors for the narrating radio voice that warns about the different gangs operating in different sectors, and by Mad Max for the apocalyptic view of the world and the customized vehicles. I couldn't stop thinking about that while watching the movie and apparently I'm not the only one since I read another review thinking the same. I loved The Warriors, and I still do after all those years, so to me it was easy to like The Domestics, because in a way it brought back those memories. But The Domestics was just inspired by it, for the rest it's a totally different movie and story. I can get that people don't like it. Those people would probably not like The Warriors and Mad Max either. But if you did like those I'm sure you will like this one as well. The acting was certainly not bad for a so-called B-movie. I'm aware that the story doesn't make much logic sometimes but I was not expecting that either with this kind of post-apocalytic story. I's just a bit of easy entertainment, the kind I like everynow and then.
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I thought oh...another Purge-esq film, which is not a far shot . but i did get a warriors, vanishing point roadtrip vibe. this film kinda fits in sowmewhere with other post apoc films somehere between the first mad mad and road warrior in terms of the worlds timeline this film inhabits.. i didnt think it was afwul or unentertaining just doesnt do anything new with it. had no problems with the actors either, think it is exactly what it is in the trailer, nothing more nothing less. probably couldve used some more horror and suspense as it stands now its like something youd see on syfy channel late at night. nothing new really. would i watch it again? probably not unless they dig up an alternate cut of the film that has more action.. but once was ok for the genre post apocalypse crowd.
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nogodnomasters25 October 2018For some reason, the government killed off most of the population and ceased to exist. Not sure of the premise. We are about three years into the apocalypse. Some of the names of the gangs are Cherry, Gamblers, Plowboys, and Nailers. One wears animal heads which has to smell and be uncomfortable. The state of Wisconsin is divided into gang territories. One home had a generator while others had unexplained electricity. Mark (Tyler Hoechlin) and Nina (Kate Bosworth) a couple on the fritz, decide they are going to travel 192 miles to Milwaukee to visit her parents who haven't answered their shortwave in a while. They take the long way to avoid the gangs along the main road only to encounter them on the side roads. It appears Wisconsin has enough beer, gas, and guns for the apocalypse but is short on women.
Interesting to see a quick transformation of a boring suburban couple into killers in order to survive.
Guide: F-word. Sex. No nudity. -
simoncrunch17 July 2018The movie should be called "two people who don't realize the world is now dangerous & act like idiots..oh, and the guy keeps getting his gun taken away"
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bgar-8093217 September 2020This is a typical post apocalyptic film with all the goofy gangs and such that show up. Don't get me wrong I do think gangs would appear but they're always so over the top in these type of movies (wearing animals heads and spinning to decide if someone lives for example). This one wasn't bad though and followed a couple that was in the process of divorce before they had to start fighting for survival together. The couple is endearing which is what makes this work. Doesn't re-invent the wheel but if you have an hour and a half to kill you can do worse.
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Molly191629 October 2018I'm only 20 minutes in and I'm hoping the wife gets killed. The husband is her doormat. Let me explain... A post apocalyptic world run by murderous gangs but the couple are living in a relatively safe area. However to 'save their marriage' they're going on a road trip to see her parents 😐. Because that's your concern when your trying to stay alive right? Your marriage. Holy jayzus!
She constantly needs reassurance from her husband and her mother she's trying to contact and visit.. Now she's crying saying she doesn't want to die and wants to go home...what a surprise. And she wears headphones listening to music when things get stressful and gives her husband/chauffeur/bodyguard/lifesaver attitude.. a pure liability. She shouldn't be allowed outside the house never mind cross a war zone. -
roxalien31 July 2018I have no idea what the low rating people were expecting. It obviously is not an Oscar movie and doesn't want to be. It also did not want to have some grand plot. It's just a nicely done action and gore move in a post-apocalyptic setting.
Also, for the review complaining about lack of chemistry between the leads and the wife's unrealistic transformation: the wife clearly said they were getting through a divorce when "it" happened, and that she had been heart broken. Her character at the beginning of the movie is clearly depressed and not facing the realities of their world, she looks half "asleep" and afraid all the time. I found her change in personality to be quite natural for someone who was awakened by the brutalities they experienced, who realized she wanted to live and that she still loved her husband a lot and was prepared to act to defend that, and her awakening was completed when the last pretense was shattered at the end, the hope that her parents might still be alive. -
markhappyboy30 June 2018I'm not a fan of post apocalyptic movies by any means Mad Max being the exception ( I hated The Road ) it's a genre I find almost always a bit depressing, but I had so much fun watching this movie! Just sit back empty your brain and enjoy, it's a 6 from me.
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RengleK30 June 2018I went into "The Domestics" last night knowing absolutely nothing about it. I didn't watch any trailers for it, nor did I read a description of the film. I simply saw the poster, laughed at how bad it looked, and decided to go to a 10:00 PM showing since I had nothing better to do. And while I cannot say that the film blew me away, it did surprise me just how much care was put into this film. However, it should be noted that care and attention to detail only go so far when the overall product lacks a certain substance to keep any viewer engaged.
The film follows Mark and Nina, a "married" couple who decide to make the 5-hour drive to Nina's parents house after her mother stops calling her. The problem is the world has gone to crap ever since the government decided to use chemical weapons to kill off most of the population, and almost all of those who survived the attack turned into psychopaths who are out for blood 24/7. Thus, the trip is obviously a stupid idea, and the film knows it. However, since there wouldn't be a "story" without the trip, we are told that Mark is only doing it to save his marriage with Nina. Off the bat, this comes off as really stupid reasoning, but the aforementioned attention to detail and the chemistry between Tyler Hoechlin and Kate Bosworth does a fairly good job of convincing me of their love.
The film itself plays like a clip show, often presenting an idea in action that lasts a few minutes before moving on to the next thing. While this is actually pretty effective for worldbuilding (and surprisingly, character development), it really takes a toll on the actual story. Another downside to this is often it feels like the film thinks it's presenting this fresh, groundbreaking, thought-provoking idea, when really it's just retreading territory that other stories have covered far better in the past. I've seen people comparing this to "The Purge" and "Mad Max" because of some of the themes and the aesthetic, but I'd be quicker to compare this to the "Fallout" game franchise and "The Walking Dead" for all of the ideas it takes from those two franchises.
There is some originality here, although I'm not entirely sure it was intended. For one, the film plays like a comedy. What I mean by that is any time the film has an opportunity to go for a laugh, it always goes for it. I think I laughed more watching this than I did when I saw "Tag", and that tells me that at least some of the humor I laughed at was intentional. However, I didn't expect to be watching a comedy, I was expecting a tense horror/thriller. It is disappointing to go into a horror film and not be scared (although there were two short-yet-notable moments that made me genuinely uncomfortable), but the laughs were certainly welcome in their absence.
Overall, the film is very competent, but nothing special. The editing is fine, the soundtrack is fine, the acting is pretty decent, the direction is there, and the cinematography is actually more than just basic camerawork. It is an hour-and-a-half odyssey that is not very scary, but packs in some good laughs. You rarely ever feel like you know what exactly is going to happen next, but you're not really invested enough to care either. Despite it's numerous faults and shortcomings, I found the film so enjoyable that I did not regret purchasing a ticket to watch it, and that is always a good sign that a film isn't too awful. Still, "The Domestics" fails to be any better than mediocre and inoffensive, which makes it quite middling for me.
So, should you watch this? If you want to watch an awkward-humor comedy set in a post-apocalyptic America (and I'm pretty sure it's just America, the rest of the world is probably fine), it certainly is a good popcorn film for that. If you're looking for something that makes you feel tense, scared, and uncomfortable throughout? well, Hereditary is still in theaters right now, go watch that instead.
Strong 5/10. -
kenbo-6383323 November 2018Really liked this film...just because its not a major movie dosnt make it bad ....I have found many independant movies much better than the drivel put out by big name studios. Has a good plot...although its never revealed why the goverment killed off 97% of population....hey! maybe they finally found a way to alleviate the traffic problem in L.A.
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ok855 October 2021Actually a decent movie! The story is enjoyable and not too complex, but there's just enough going around to keep it interesting. I like the acting. Kate Bosworth does a fine job, the transformation from a 'good girl' to a feisty woman is believable.
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mhorg201816 August 2018I'm really beginning to think that a lot of the reviews on IMDB are by the filmmakers family and friends. I don't see how anyone could rate this silliness beyond a 1. A little movie review. Recently I watched 2018 Post-Apocalyptic movie called "The Domestics." Let me be honest here, it should have been called The Dumbestics. It's everything I hate in a Post-Apocalyptic movie. Most of all, it's a movie where there's no logic at all. This is a problem with most films of this type. First, we learn that the US Government has gassed most of the populace, killing off 97 percent of the populace. 97 percent! Yet there are all kinds of gangs running about. There's no kind of timeline, so we don't know how long things have progressed. The main characters are a husband and wife whose marriage is on the collapse. So to save it, they head to Milwaukee where her parents are. They run into and get out of many problems - problem is - none of it's believable. In a space of about four days, wife goes from nimrod barely able to survive, to valkyrie. There's a mystery woman who saves them time and again before she... no that would be telling. Finally, like most films that really annoy me - it just ends. There's also an annoying as hell Radio announcer (much like the 70's film Vanishing Point). It's just a dull mish-mosh of ideas with very little thought behind it. It's like a paint by numbers of how NOT to do a post-apocalyptic movie.
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It's not a bad film, and probably worth watching when it comes on TV - that's about it really.
The acting is good but the characters are a bit silly in many ways as the story progresses.
So if you can't think of anything to watch this isn't a bad choice provided you don't have many expectations for a film that is trying to cash in on the current tend for post-apocalyptic stuff.
What I would like to know is how they still have mains electricity. -
claudio_carvalho8 July 2018IMDb used to be a serious site about cinema; however it is impressive the number of fake reviews some films have after the recent modification of this site. "The Domestics" is one of them. There are reviews promoting this garbage with the intention of luring the unwary reader.
"The Domestics" is awful and stupid. There is neither explanation nor development of the situation that caused the apocalypse. Why the black gas was released by the government? The lead couple performed by Tyler Hoechlin and Kate Bosworth show no chemistry. The annoying Nina West after listening to a metal rock very loud (despite the dangerous gangs everywhere) becomes a very bold heroin, shooting at the gangsters. My vote is three.
Title (Brazil): "Os Domésticos" ('The Domestics") -
surfisfun23 February 2021Good sets .cartoonish action. great first full length movie from this director. good costumes. some questionable lengthy moments . still a good mix of road warriors/ the Warriors on a budget. recommended
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More plot holes that I can count, weak premise and unrelatable characters, the list of flaws for this is endless. And the unrelenting march of unexplained details was ridiculous: Every world government decided to kill off their population simultaneously? Gasoline still works after 900 days? The wife talked to her mother on the radio every day despite them being almost 200 miles apart and using what appears to be a CB with a maximum range of about 5 miles.
Did you people research anything before making this garbage?
I'm getting too old for this type of lazy story telling. -
For too long IMDB has fallen into the hands of nerds obessesed with the new CW DC comics bug... Or the genre hype that unfortunately horror has become. This movie is legit and extremely entertaining. I wouldn't compare this to the Purge at all, but more off Walter Hill's Warriors meets Mad Max. I have a problem with critics from IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes because these people wouldn't know the difference from Bergman, Truffaut to Fulci, Bava and Argento. They misquote every genre film now and expect it to be something that it isn't. Honestly don't go into this picture thinking it's like this years hit Hereditary - because it's not. It's pure entertainment and not some bloated indie crap that they're trying to elevate as elevated horror. Honestly this has more off a grindhouse sploitation feel to it. So stop listening to these nerds belittling it and saying it doesn't make any sense... Go into it with the fresh approach that it's just fun and entertaining... Because that's what film's and especially genre films should be... FUN. And this my friends is one of the better films that doesn't care about social crap that''s come out this year.
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jordancornally3 July 2018I'm gonna get straight to the point. Its a good B-Grade movie. You should check it out as I think you will most likely enjoy it. Have Fun :)
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stevelomas-6940127 December 2018Inexplicable character changes and nonsensical actions are mixed with the most ludicrous ideas of 'Escape from New York' and 'Beyond the Thunderdone' by what appears to be a teenage script writer.
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bakers10005 July 2018I stumbled upon this title while looking for something to watch and viewing the latest "on-demand" titles. The reviews were mostly positive and I like this genre, so I gave it a shot. That said, I really liked this movie. The acting and direction were good knowing that the budget wasn't A-list stuff. I enjoyed that even the characters with minor roles were well thought out and memorable (big dumb guy waves to the young kid goodbye gave me a chuckle).
Most of the other reviews are pretty spot-on so I'll just say that if you like post-apocalyptic type movies, you won't be disappointed.
Spoiler: My only beef with the story-telling is that for all the miles that they have driven (without GPS type tracking devices), it seemed WAY too easy for everyone (including the woman) to track the main characters down through-out their travels. Without the knowledge of the couple's destination, they could have driven a 1/4 mile away and no-one would no where to look for them. It seemed pretty convenient that just about everyone (especially the guy that was left for dead) easily tracked them down, especially when they went out of their way to rural areas to lay low, sometimes driving 30 miles or more. -
a_chinn24 July 2018The US has been devastated by war and disease, killing off most of the population and leaving survivors without a government or civil order. What's left is different gang controlled territories by The Sheets, The Cherries, The Plow Boys, The Gamblers, and The Domestics. The Sheets wear sheets. The Cherries are an all-girl gang. The Plow Boys drive a big plow. The Gamblers are the most interesting, continually playing games of chance, spinning prize wheels or doing rock-paper-scissors to decide whether to kill someone or not. That group had a bit more to their mythology and are the most interesting, having an actual culture rather than just an interesting outfit or namesake prop. The Domestics are the gang who are the most normal and identifiable (you know, domestic) and that gang is where our two heroes herald from. The distinct look of each gang, outside of the normal Domestics, made this film seem like a post-apocalyptic version of Walter Hill's "The Warriors" with our hero gang, The Domestics, having the bop their way through enemy gang territory to get to safety. There's even a DJ narrating between the film's events, just as Hill's DJ did in his 1979 film. The story wastes no time getting down to business with a husband (Tyler Hoechlin) and wife (Kate Bosworth) setting out across the county to find out why Bosworth's parents stopped answering on their CB radio. As will Walter Hill's film, writer/director Mike P. Nelson's story unfolds in a series of episodic events, where the couple encounters various gangs, although unlike "The Warriors," this film comes to a head with a major confrontation between all of the warring gangs. That climactic action scene is pretty good, but my favorite episode comes early in the story when the couple is rescued by a kind man, Lance Reddick, and his son who takes the pair back to his warm welcoming home to meet his family and enjoy a hot meal, which (SPOILER ALERT!) ends up being PEOPLE! It's a wonderfully creepy episode with this seemingly normal and caring family turning out to be cannibals. What makes the episode work so well is that it doesn't build to a familiar Texas Chainsaw Massacre crescendo with Bosworth and Hoechlin becoming the family's next meal, but they instead find themselves calmly being invited to join the family. I wish more of "The Domestics" was made up of more unique and unexpected of episodes such as this, instead of the more familiar encounter/fight/flee formula that makes up a majority of the couple's encounters (though their encounter with The Gamblers in a ramped up version of Russian Rouletter that's a bit like "The Deer Hunter" meets "SAW" is pretty wild). Overall, "The Domestics" has the grim look of "The Road" but is more similar to the comic book post-apocalyptic action of something along the lines of "The Purge" or "Z-Nation", which isn't a bad thing, but I think this movie had the potential for greatness with it's solid cast, excellent production design, and some cool ideas sprinkled throughout.