Movie Digest
A constant development due to human activity has caused a lot of waste. The environmental consequences were so extreme that there was a call for protection, which led to PDR Biotech using gene fusion technology to create a super cockroach that would be capable of eliminating all waste in a way that’s safe. The company leader rented the freighter to show the world. While transporting the shipment, the cockroaches suddenly lost control and swallowed all the creatures.
The Feel-Good Part
The conflict in the film is a direct allegory to the climate crisis that we are presently witnessing, and the commentary works well as the exaggerated horrors of the movie are based on real-time fear. The film is an entertaining popcorn flick that has some explosive scenes. The father-daughter relationship adds a sentimental plotline to an otherwise action-packed film.
The Disappointing Factor
The characters are incredibly uninteresting and have nothing to offer to the story, they feel empty and lifeless, and it is hard for the audience to care about any of them as they don’t feel like real people. All attempts to generate emotional impact in life and death situations fall flat for this reason. The characters have no chemistry, which is usually an essential element of apocalyptic stories. The film is illogical and incoherent with its action sequences wherein they fight the roaches with military-grade weapons. The decisions the characters make in dire situations, which increasingly make the characters more unlikeable throughout the course of the film. The CGI and special effects used seem extremely out-dated it, makes the movie feel comical rather than horrifying, which is why the audience may find that it is hard to take this movie seriously as it feels more like a parody.
In-Depth Analysis
The film suffers from missed opportunities to be impactful and make good use of the real-life climate change horrors. It could have easily made a terrifying, yet enjoyable viewing experience by developing likable characters so that the audience is kept on the edge of their seat as they have an emotional investment in the plot. For a story that’s so generic and formulaic, this could have been a simple crowd-pleaser if it weren’t for the lousy execution.
Star Power
The performances are weak and cannot make up for the low quality of the screenplay and direction. The cast has done whatever they could have with whatever material that was provided to them; the half-baked characters didn’t give the cast much to work with, in the first place.
Overall Opinion
This film isn’t worth your time; there are other, numerous pieces of media that address the subjects this movie does in a more articulately. For some, this fits the –so bad it’s good- category of films, so unless you are looking specifically for that, and you should save your time and watch anything instead of Cockroach Tide.
