Aftershock

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Aftershock
Starring Eli Roth, Andrea Osvart, Ariel Levy, Natasha Yarovenko
Directed by Nicolas Lopez

While vacationing in Chile, friends Gringo (Eli Roth), Ariel (Ariel Levy) and Pollo (Nicolas Martinez) meet up with three beautiful women - Monica (Andrea Osvart), her sister Kylie (Lorenza Izzo) and Irina (Natasha Yarovenko).  The six of them travel Chile and go to the fanciest night clubs, and they're having a great time.

Then an earthquake hits, one that's bigger than they've ever experienced.  Trapped in an underground club, they fight their way to the surface, where their troubles are only beginning.  With a possible tsunami approaching, and hundreds of criminals who escaped from a local prison roaming the streets, the friends have to use all their street intelligence to make it through the night alive.

Loosely based off the Chilean earthquake in 2010, director Nicholas Lopez doesn't seem sure in what direction to take the film.  The first half is a romantic comedy that makes you reminisce of the original "Hangover" film (even actor Nicolas Martinez resembles Zach Galifianakis with his pudgy body, crude humor and beard).  Then the film becomes a disaster flick with the earthquake.  Then a horror film as the profound use of blood and gore as they try to escape the aftermath.  Finally an action cat-and-mouse flick when they're hunted down the streets of Chile by a band of criminals.

Unfortunately, in trying to choose too many different styles of film, Lopez fails in achieving perfection in any of them.

That's not to say there weren't great moments in the film - whether it was intentional or not.  A guy gets his hand chopped off and freaks out trying to find it as the hand keeps getting kicked around.  A maid leads the survivors to the surface only to get face-planted by a car.  The best part of the film is the ending, not because it ends, but with what happens in the end.  It's clearly the best cinematographic scene of the film, and ties a bow on this little romantic comedy/disaster/horror/action movie.

My Rating: B-

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