(Image credit: Netflix)
Tom's Guide Verdict: 'The Last House'Rating: 3/5 starsVerdict: "A frustrating example of a movie of two halves, 'The Last House' starts strong with a lockdown thriller premise full of potential. But despite the best efforts of its talented stars, Wagner Moura and Greta Lee, the high-concept finale drowns out the early promise."Where to watch: "The Last House" is on Netflix nowNetflix’s “The Last House” hits uncomfortably close to home. This new sci-fi thriller movie sees a family of four trapped in their home, communicating with next-door neighbors through handwritten signs, staving off boredom by watching whatever DVDs they have lying around and musing on exactly when they might be permitted to see the outside world once again.This on-screen nuclear family is in lockdown due to a mysterious natural force. However, the parallels to the coronavirus pandemic, and the resulting quarantines many experienced, could not be more obvious. Holding a mirror up to the testing reality society battled barely half a decade ago gives “The Last House” an early sense of momentum and purpose.But, much like its protagonist, Netflix viewers will eventually feel cabin fever set in. As the movie chugs towards a finale that jumps the shark in more ways than one, all that initial potential evaporates quicker than rainwater in the hot summer sun. Even the best efforts of its stars, Oscar-nominated Wager Moura and the equally talented Greta Lee, can’t stop the slide.It leaves “The Last House” as a movie of two halves, one good, one decidedly less so. When stitched together as a whole — and due to the rapid change of tone, this sci-thriller does feel somewhat Frankenstein-ed together — the final result is a Netflix original that plays its best hand too early.What is ‘The Last House’ about?
