James spends his last 12 hour on Earth by coming to the party-to-end-all-parties. Along the way, he happens to save the life of a little girl named Rose who is desperately searching for her father. James is forced to make a lifetime decision of helping the girl as the final hours pass by.
Despite its strong sense of place and a solid central performance from Nathan Phillips, Zak Hilditch's film is too blighted by the deja vu factor to stand out from the apocalyptic pack.
Although the film lacks the bravura of Von Trier's Melancholia or the heart and humour of Don McKellar's Last Night, it does have a propulsive energy and a satisfying arc of redemption.
The low-budget Australian apocalyptic drama has such a terrific start - an adrenaline rush of panic and dread as a huge asteroid colliding with the Earth sends a wall of fire around the planet. It's a shame the movie peters out about halfway through.
AV Club
March 05, 2015
Incoherent and pointless as it is, These Final Hours moves with commendable swiftness.
In a strange way it makes a hopeful statement, arguing that redemption is still possible up until the very point we are engulfed in continent-buckling fireballs.
