Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) If you know a bit about German cinema, you will agree that the 5-year-old "Hell" is not really a film you'd expect to come from Germany. Science-fiction is a rarity in the German-speaking countries, horror and thriller not so much though. The bravery to take on new areas, however, is the only thumbs-up I can give writer and director Tim Fehlbaum here. This is his second full feature film and easily his most known work so far. Eidinger, Herzsprung, Winkler and Erceg are somewhat known in Germany at least and this may be the reason why. It certainly is not the quality of this film. I always thought Hannah Herzsprung was a pretty weak actress, mediocre at best, but sometimes downright bad. Neither the script nor the co-stars are helping much in this post-apocalyptic drama. This is especially disappointing as the setting offers the possibility of a truly atmospheric film. It was not achieved. In the end, I can only say that i am glad the movie does not run for 90 minutes even and if you cut 6-7 minutes of credits, it's really short. This does not have to be negative. It means a film is more essential like that and there is an uncountable number of really good films out there which are very much helped by a low runtime. This is not one of them sadly. The acting, the story and the overall outcome are all fairly underwhelming. Thumbs down and I do not recommend the watch. No idea why this movie scored so much awards attention, even at really prestigious ceremonies like the German Film Awards. I guess, for some people being different means being good. But for you it shouldn't Only worth a watch if you really love the genre. Or then you may be even more disappointed. Better stay away.

bowmanblue Check on any review of the German film 'Hell' and it'll tell you that it's a film 'of two halves.' I can't really add much to that.Set in the near future when the sun has scorched the Earth, leaving only a few survivors to scour the land for what they need most - in this case, water. We meet four of them as they travel across Germany, unable to set foot in the sunlight and doing much of the travelling at night, as they desperately look for the fabled mountain range where it still rains.The first half is pretty good. It takes the whole 'can't go out in the sunlight' idea and introduces many nice touches, i.e. how the characters have developed new patterns of living, plus how they ingeniously find various ways of getting more water (out of pipes, using cloths to soak moisture off cave walls and so on). Plus the acting is good. Everyone plays their part well and there isn't a Jar-Jar Binks among them (in other words, hideously annoying and unbearable to watch).However, the second half kind of slips up on itself and turns the whole thing into a simple 'escape from the baddies' movie. It even comes complete with 'running through the woods' scene. Plus the idea of being unable to go out in the sunlight kind of gets forgotten about. The sunlight suddenly plays no real part in the second act, even to the extent that the characters are somehow able to run about it in with no real side effects.What starts off excellent, just ends up being okay-ish. It's definitely worth watching, even if it's just for the nice atmosphere created and decent first half. If you fancy a German subtitled version of The Road, give it a try.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

thekarmicnomad No matter what the language I do love a post apocalyptic thriller.This has an excellent start, and kept my interest right up to the credits. The backdrop is set very efficiently in the first few minutes of the opening scene, where we meet the main characters.The characters are intriguing (and as it turns out) quite believable.As the title may suggest this particular post apocalyptic world is fairly hazardous (aren't they always) and there is a good degree of tension as the characters try to deal with a hostile environment, and each other.Great acting, no special effects. We aren't treated to a deserted Berlin sequence but the settings in the countryside are simple and professionally handled - you can almost taste the dust.The only two gripes I have with the film is about a quarter of it is shot in darkness which I don't approve of, and I wanted the action to last a bit longer.If you are a fan of post apocalyptic movies then this is a must see

LawnBoy-4 As I sat through this thing, I couldn't help but be reminded of some of the lousy attempts at post-apocalyptic dreck from the 80s such as "R.O.T.O.R." and "Robot Holocaust". While the direction and performances were passable (I guess), the obvious attempts to mask the film's paltry budget via camera tricks, set choices and weak effects were just too much. To wit:1. Purposefully washing out shots in order to make it appear as if the sun was beating down on the earth 2. Unnecessary/uncomfortable close-ups designed to prevent the viewer from seeing what little actual set and props they could afford 3. Jerky camera work designed to prevent any part of the lackluster setting from remaining in focus for any appreciable period of time 4. Choosing a German mountain forest which had obviously been ravaged by fire and/or beetle kill in order to convey a lifeless landscape 5. Blocking out the windows of the car in order to prevent the viewer from seeing (again) what little actual set and props they could afford6. Depicting exactly zero on-screen gore, even though this film's supposed "shock value" was rooted in cannibalism ...and so on.This film was riddled with logic holes - far too many to enumerate here - and the ending was awful to an eye-rolling degree, making no sense whatsoever.