End Times (2023)

End Times (2023). 1h 53m | Not Rated

“Following a zombie apocalypse, a desperate woman and an aging mercenary decide to team up to navigate their way safely across the undead-strewn landscape, but when they join a group of survivors in a remote commune they find it threatens their safety as much as the encroaching zombie hordes.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall, thereu0026#39;s quite a lot to like about this one. One of the big aspects to be had here is the highly enjoyable setup that serves the filmu0026#39;s low-budget origins quite well. The post-apocalyptic zombie effort like this features the type of fare presented here means that this can really focus on the humanity of the two leads forced into the situation that sees a drastic change and shift in their personality over time. Initially starting the journey as a prissy do-gooder too afraid to fight back even if her life depended on it, the change into a cold, ruthless fighter at least capable of going into a fight is handled rather well which happens with the more encounters they have not only with other figures but survivors as well. Itu0026#39;s serviceable enough in this type of scenario and makes their relationship fun to follow as the point is to help her toughen up and survive. This manages to provide some rather fun zombie action that pops up here. Starting with the necessary encounters that show off the post-apocalyptic scenario this is attempting to tell with the encounters showing the creatures arriving to take out the victims in their homes or out on the streets, itu0026#39;s a fine start to things while also showing off the kind of environment where her changing condition shows itself off rather nicely. This also serves as a fine means of getting them together when he saves her from an attack and they team up with their training sessions also providing the kind of first-hand training thatu0026#39;s fun to see, especially when itu0026#39;s the only stuff here that really carries any kind of action until the finale when it offers the full scope of itu0026#39;s setup giving this a spectacular heartfelt conclusion perfectly in tone with the rest of the film. Itu0026#39;s all enough to make this exceptionally enjoyable even if there isnu0026#39;t much to hold this back but it does have some slight issues. One of the main drawbacks holding it back is the somewhat overlong running length that couldu0026#39;ve been trimmed down somewhat. A lot of the film consists of him teaching her survival tactics and weaponry skills to help prepare her for the situation which can be somewhat redundant with it relying on him instructing what needs to be done, her failing it, and then trying it again when everything goes smoothly. That all helps to establish the situation present as well as their relationship but does feel a little overlong as they donu0026#39;t even reach the colony of survivors until an hour into here which is all to the detriment of the zombie attacks. Thereu0026#39;s not a whole lot throughout here which is kept to brief but thrilling encounters due to these other factors. These end up being the main drawbacks to this one.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and Brief Nudity.”