Radioflash (4/5) – Movie Review

RADIOFLASH is a survival thriller from IFC that offers some unexpected developments. Including one that horror fans will find very familiar and should adore. Overall, it’s all about survival and being quick to react and adapt in smart ways! Read more in our full Radioflash review here!

Radioflash is a survival thriller that evolves in some unexpected and brilliant ways. The movie is being released by IFC which does tend to be a good sign. At the very least, IFC releases tend to have a certain standard in terms of both production and storyline.

When it comes to Radioflash, I honestly didn’t know what to expect and it was a bit slow at first. But damn, does that change along the way. In other words, do not give up and assume that you have this movie figured out! 

Read more about this new thriller-drama (with some classic horror elements) in our full Radioflash review below!

Brighton Sharbino stars in Radioflash 

The main protagonist in Radioflash is Reese. She’s a girl living with her father, Chris, in the city. Reese is portrayed by Brighton Sharbino who I felt was very familiar so I has to pause and look her up on IMDb immediately. It didn’t take long to figure out that she’s a rather iconic character from The Walking Dead. One that ended up defining the character of Carol afterwards!

Chris is played by Cominic Monaghan who many will probably still recognize from his roles in the TV series Lost and as an always hungry hobbit in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In Radioflash, Reese and her father Chris decide to leave the city after all power (and water) has been cut off from one moment to the next.

On an old radio, Reese gets in touch with her grandfather, who convinces them that they need to join him out in the woods. Grandfather Frank is a Doomsday Prepper (but not in a super creepy way) and has everything they need to survive. If zombie series have taught us anything, it’s that other human beings are the real danger.

Bascially, I agree with grandpa. And not just because he’s played by the brillian Will Patton, who always delivers impressive performances. Most recently in the series Swamp Thing and the 2018 Halloween movie.

So does Chris and Reese, so they head out of the city which turns out to be just the first of many challenges they’ll meet along the way. Throughout Radioflash, we see things from Reese’s point of view first and foremost. This means Brighton Sharbino has to deliver in every scene and, fortunately, she does!

Elements of delicious horror

While Radioflash starts out in a quite slow, but intense way, I was just beginning to think I had this movie figured out when it took a turn. A true horror turn!

I mean, we are talking about a girl and her father trying to meet up with Doomsday Prepper grandpa in the deep dark woods. As any horror fan will tell you, anywhere remote has the distinct possiblity of delivering moments of The Hills Have Eyes or Texas Chainsaw Massacre type characters.

Well, Radioflash is no exception!

The truly iconic actress Fionnula Flanagan plays a character known only as “Maw”. And yes, she is brilliant and horror-iconic in all the right ways. The kind of ways that makes you think that “Yeah, that seems legit”. I mean, even serious dramas like Winter’s Bone have shown us that once you leave the city, there’s a wild world out there where different rules apply.

If the name Fionnula Flanagan doesn’t ring a bell, then don’t worry. You’re bound to recognize her face if you’ve watched horror movies like The Others (2001), Havenhurst (2016) or the Lost TV series. Hell, she even played three different characters on Murder, She Wrote from 1987 to 1995.

Watch Radioflash in select theaters and on VOD

The writer and director of Radioflash is Ben McPherson and this is his first feature film as both. He already has another coming in pre-production now and after watching Radioflash I am definitely excited for whatever comes next from Ben McPherson.

I should “warn you” that if you read the official plot and expect this to be part of the movie, you will be disappointed. Of course, the plot describes the situation, but the actual movie is specifically about the girl Reese (Brighton Sharbino) and her struggle to survive along with both family members and other people she comes across.

Also, the poster for Radioflash shows two people being chased by a bear. This is a strange mash-up of scenes that have nothing to do with one another. There is a bear and they do need to cross a ravine by way of a huge log from one side to the other. But the image from the poster is not in the actual movie. 

What is in this new thriller, is a fascinating story of survival that offers several realistic and tragic events along the way. You could say that it includes a bit of a supernatural element as well. However, one could also argue that it’s simply the personification of intuition. Whatever you want to call it, you should simply check out Radioflash to know what I’m referring to.

Radioflash opens November 15, 2019 in select theaters and on VOD.

Details

Director: Ben McPherson
Writer: Ben McPherson
Cast: Brighton Sharbino, Dominic Monaghan, Will Patton, Fionnula Flanaga, Kyle Collin, Michael Filipowich

Plot

RADIOFLASH thrusts us into a world where an electric-magnetic pulse has just struck America, knocking out all power and propelling it back into the Dark Ages. As society descends into violent anarchy, Reese (Brighton Sharbino), a tech-skilled teenager and her father Chris (Dominic Monaghan) flee the dangers of the city, seeking refuge with her doomsday-prepper grandfather (Will Patton) deep in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. But they soon discover that their journey and the splendor of these mountains hide a darkness of their own. Reese is forced to adapt her modern skills into finding a way to survive in the wilderness, and reach her grandfather before it’s too late. How far would you go to lead your family to safety?