Coming to VOD and Theatres July 26th
Spoiler Alert
The apocalypse is coming, and the only person who can stop the red moon from smacking the planet Earth is AWOL. In The Last Journey of Paul WR (Hugo Becker), this astronaut knows something others don’t and he doesn’t want to be the man responsible, hence going into hiding. Although everyone believes it’s the end of the world as we know it, Paul is fine with the idea. Just in case everyone hates him, he’s gone into hiding.
Not everyone is after him, though. They’re more preoccupied with deciding how to spend their last days. Director Romain Quirot crafted a product which shows just how bad it has gotten, and as for giving it a rather visually beautiful look, that’s because the CGI is layered on top of a road trip movie through the French countryside.
In the meantime, the government is searching for him though and has posted a bounty. Although fortune hunters are few and far between, enforcement is doing what they can to bring him in. But I found it odd they aren’t making a better effort when this recluse surfaces.
Aside from being the son of Henri W.R (Jean Reno), a scientist who discovered the red crystal in order to solve Earth’s fuel crisis, what Paul knows about that rock can change things. Because he’s the only one able to pilot the ship, everyone is hoping he has the right stuff to take the rocket ship to the rock, and knock its trajectory off course!
Anyone who has seen Armageddon knows where this movie is headed. I had to chuckle because despite all the years we’ve had to advance space faring technology, we still depend on sending astronauts to space on bottle rockets. Until the top capsule gets released for smaller engines to navigate it to where it needs to be, it’s a dangerous ride.
I’m also curious about how travel between planets is possible. Even with our current tech, it’ll take many months to reach Mars according to the latest reports. Paul’s brother, Eliott (Paul Hamy), apparently knows something too, but after failing to reach the red moon and dying, what he becomes is worse. In his resurrection, he gained telepathic powers and is after Paul, too!
This chase around the French countryside gets compounded by other problems. Besides enforcement looking for him, he meets a young Elma (Lya Oussadit-Lessert), who wants to tag along. As they bond during much of the second act, we get more backstory to help explain why Paul is apprehensive about the mission.
He doesn’t want the weight of the world on his shoulders. What I’ve learned in the flashbacks is that his relationship with his family is bad. Well, although what’s expected comes to fruition, I found The Last Journey of Paul WR undertook worthwhile. Humanity can remain hopeful for a future after all.
4 Stars out of 5
The Last Journey of Paul WR Trailer
