No. 93 The End (2024) 98/100

 

After a brief hiatus we’re back! The remaining films on my list have remained elusive but this latest release from Mr Shannon got us back in the saddle. It’s always good to see the big man, but I’m afraid this one left me saddle sore and somewhat bored. It’s a pity as the premise of a family surviving 20 years in a bunker following an environmental disaster sounded interesting, but I have to say I had my doubts when I read it was a musical.

 

The film is set wholly within the wealthy family’s bunker, which was created within a salt mine. The specifics of the disaster are kept somewhat vague, but it’s made pretty clear that Shannon’s character ’Father’ was one of the instigators, given he used to control an oil company. This led to more alarm bells going off – will this be a parable about looking after the environments and pointing fingers at likely polluters? Yes, it is!

The film sets its stall out early on with the ‘Son’ character starting a tuneless song in which he’s soon joined with Shannon and ‘Mother’ (Tilda Swinton) together with Captain Darling as the Butler as well as a friend and a doctor. The ‘song’, as it was, was basically just a string of narrative set to a forgettable tune, sung by people who are clearly better actors than they are singers.

 

The son has lived his whole life in the bunker and knows only of the outside world what he learns from his family and their archive of press cuttings and books. Mother claims she used to be a ballerina and curates a large number of classic artworks.

 

Things bump along for a while before a teenage black girl is found in one of the bunker’s tunnels. The group initially try to scare her off but soon she is welcomed into the fold with her wide-eyed interest being the filter through which we can see this world. The film drags on for an interminable two and a half hours as they group carry out safety drills, preform plays, make animal noises and discuss how best to fart.

 

From an interesting premise the film is so dull and fails to be enlivened by the most forgettable set of songs you’ll ever hear. There is no reason why this is a musical, and the plot and character development isn’t helped by people launching into yet another song every ten minutes or so.

 

We learn slightly more about the characters as the film lists along and there is no surprise when the Son and the incomer girl start to bond. They are clearly the last vestige of hope in a shattered world, and we can only hope that their future adventures are undocumented.

 

I tried hard to like this film and stayed stoically to the end. I wasn’t rewarded with anything memorable however, and felt it was just like ‘Fallout’ with all the good elements stripped away by so many scavengers.

 

Shannon was decent as Father but his singing voice was poor and he had a poorly developed role in which he largely just reacted to stuff. His song and dance number with Captain Darling, who affected an American accent except when he was singing, was watch through the fingers stuff and I’m afraid this one is to be filed under ‘Let’s never talk about this again’. The End.

 

When is Shannon-On? –  0.00:56 

Outcome?  Still in the bunker, now with an expanded family 

Film 1/5 

Shannon Stars 1.5/5