Nuclear War Destroys the World...Again
If I could pick three words to summarize this movie, they would be "really fucking depressing". Don't be fooled by the cutesy characters, it's a movie that gets darker (and not just because of the bombs) as the story goes along.
The story focuses on Jim and Hilda, an older couple faced with the threat of nuclear war. While the two believe it will all blow over without incident, Jim takes precaution by following the government pamphlets down to the letter. They also have fond memories of World War II and they believe that England will defeat the bad guys again.
Of course, once the bomb hits, things take a turn for the worse. At first, they think everyone is fine and the government will rescue them. So, they wait for days in their house, cleaning it up and even making tea. One part sticks in my mind especially. The two go outside the house for the first time. As they look at the burned out countryside, Hilda remarks that it smells like roast meat. Jim replies that people must be having their Sunday dinners early due to the circumstances. Obviously, even after the bomb has been dropped, they're both very naive of the horrible reality.
The ending is inevitable and in the end, you'll feel like the entire population of England really has been eradicated!
My only problem with the movie is that it likes to take its (not so) sweet time with the story. It's an 80 minute movie, yet it feels much longer and after a while, you'll wish it would hurry up. Most of the dialog preceding the bomb is Jim talking about the pamphlets.
This is obviously a very Cold War-era movie. I don't think a lot of this movie would still hold true today, since many know more about nuclear bombs than back then.
Still, watch this movie if you like this sort of thing or you want to be bummed out for days.
