User Reviews

Watched this on Netflix, and it became so tedious I started to fast-forward through the prolonged, meaningless rounds of chatter. The ending was so incomplete you might think that they all just decided to call it quits and walked off the set.

It was an interesting premise, the status of relationships against the backdrop of a global health crisis. However, the crisis itself wasn't developed in a believable manner. Dude is playing basketball blissfully unaware that an airborne chemical weapon is drifting to the US, after having left hundreds of millions dead in the Middle East and Europe. (Really, that didn't turn up in his news-feed?)

And there was little reflection within the relationship, in regard to these terrifying events, as most of what you are subjected to is the events in their lives prior to the release of the toxin.

So this takes place in an alternate Earth where the prevailing winds over the Atlantic blow from east to west. As a consequence, some terrible bioweapon blows all over the United States from the Middle East, and 3 couples try to use the power of love... or something. Apparently love doesn't conquer all, as all 3 couples give up and presumably succumb to the mysterious pandemic.

Props to the director for filming in Detroit, which already looks like an apocalyptic wasteland. Wonder if the bodies in the street were extras or if the crew found them there?

You would be better served by reading the label from a bottle of Dr. Bronner's soap (the one that the characters read from - "Dilute! Dilute! OK!"). It's much more interesting, entertaining, and enlightening.

From beginning to end you will find a continuous disconnect in a script that finds you trying to figure out if your are watching previews of multiple movies with different genres. The movie is so involved with the relationships that the only attachment to whats going on seems to be shrouded by annoying stereotypical banter. Just another paycheck for some highly respected actors. The only thing more thrilling than the end credits was some meaningful attempt by some of the actors to try to make a horrid script, at least for their part, a more connected journey. Granted there may be a lot of horrible films out there, but avoiding this one will give you more time to catch the latest G O T!!

I watch 2 or 3 movies per day in my free time and this was probably the worst movie I have seen in over a year.. Movie was extremely suspenseful, but the end just died out and left you hanging.. Was extreme waste of resources and time. I thought josh hartnett scenes were really good but you don't even know what happens to him and his wife at the end.. Also would have liked to seen what happened to the old couple. Also don't know if the black guy dies because the bikers could have shot each other or someone could have shot them through the window. Everyone wants to know an ending so producers should put them in every movie

A film I couldn't wait to end it was so slow and non eventful. The script was minimal,there were no noticeable transitions to the flashbacks and most of the characters acted as if they had no idea what was happening.

This was an example of good well known actors roped into what was supposed to be a modern day version of On the Beach, but without any of the tension, dialog and story. Rather than engaging in pointless flashbacks, more attention should have been paid to the worldwide disaster unfolding.

Parts Per Billion illustrates why many low budget films never get shown widely...the script was lousy and production values mediocre.

In my opinion, this movie is a contender for one of the worse movies I've ever scene. Just my opinion, but....! So, in a sense, this review is, indeed, a spoiler cause anyone who reads it may not rent or buy it cause I consider it such a terrible production. The acting is not that good and the director must have been inexperienced. In short, I'm sorry I rented it.

"Parts per Billion" is that movie where you see the characters and can't help but like them because they are spectacularly flawed. They are human and you can relate. It is also the movie that you pray that there will be a happy ending but there isn't.

The film follows 3 couples as they are faced with the reality of a biological weapon which is killing the human race. We are told that it will last exactly 8 days and until then you would need pure oxygen to survive.

The first couple is a lawyer and her writer husband who are in their basement as they wait out the 8 days. You see their lives and what has led them to that moment. They are connected to the second couple (an old married couple) through the writers sister (a nurse) and through the lawyer representing the man in court.

The second couple is an old married couple who are directly linked to the disease. The man helped develop the pathogen for money so as to care for his sick daughter. We are shown their attempt to survive and the point where they are standing in front of a hospital.They are linked to the third couple (a young engaged couple) through the man who is their grandson.

The third couple are a young and engaged pair. This couple seem to hold a lot of the films focus as they are at the beginning of their marriage while the others represent the middle and end. The young couple are seen from the moment of their engagement to the woman telling her fiancé she is pregnant. While we see where the others are from the beginning we do not see the couple.

The film leaves you feeling very depressed as you are left not knowing if the lawyer gives up and runs outside before the 8 days are up or if the old couple died because they could not find anymore oxygen. One thing we do find is that the young couple died in each others arms shortly after she told her fiancé she was pregnant. AS one can imagine this was a heartbreaking discovery and makes the watcher feel depressed as you couldn't help but hope that they lived and were happy.

All in all it was a good film which unfortunately will not get the attention it deserves.

This is not a science fiction film. The background for the film is that someone in the Mideast releases an airborne pathogen that kills people on contact and is traveling in the northern hemisphere from east to west, i.e. against the prevailing winds. I know of no such biological agent and I can't imagine the controls it would take to develop one or why one would do so.

That said, this fact was fairly immaterial to the film. This is NOT a film for science fiction fans. This is another end of the world film that is about relationships more than the science. It is filled with metaphors. In fact it is so filled with metaphors and overt about it, that it lessened the effect.

We have a guitar pic that looks like an explosion in it.

We have a discussion about cleaning a dish as being a metaphor for a relationship.

We have the Trilobite discussion as there were once billions, now they are scarce. As Charleston Heston might yell: "Parts Per Billion... it's people!!!"

The whole theme of the film, in case you couldn't grasp it, is read by Anna (Teresa Palmer) off a shampoo bottle near the end.

The characters are not really that exciting. It has three couples to follow and does so in part as a flash back making the film a bit confusing, perhaps by design. If you really loved something like "Melancholia" you might like this one.

Parental Guide: F-bombs, sex, no nudity.

With the familiar faces of Teresa Palmer, Penn Badgley, Rosario Dawson, Josh Hartnett, as well as Frank Langella, you must admit this seems like an interesting collective for a film. Especially with their stories all to be connected, much less with this possibility of death due to biological weapons hanging in the air. But, the question is, with a limited amount of time before a major portion of the Earth's population being wiped out, will the film lead you to care about three sets of people?

Characters & Story

Things begin with us being presented what in any other film would be the introduction to a love story. Young Anna (Teresa Palmer) and Erik (Penn Badgley) live in this cute house together, seem barely into their adult years, and yet are helplessly in love. But, in order to pay for the house, Erik's grandparents, Esther (Gena Rowlands) and Andy (Frank Langella), give him money. Something which increasingly is becoming an issue as he seeks to establish himself as a musician.

Though Andy likes giving his grandson money, especially considering his money, which is in millions, was gained through dirty business deals. Which is how his association with Mia (Rosario Dawson) comes about for she is his lawyer trying to protect him from the possible issue of him breaching his contract with his former employer. Then, lastly, when it comes to Len (Josh Hartnett), he seems to be an almost polar opposite to Erik. For while Erik can spend his days with his girlfriend and write songs, Len seems to be someone who may have been big at one point and time, but now is broke, jealous of his wife Mia, and has only his sister Sarah (Alexis Bledel) and friend Rick (Hill Harper) to vent to.

And all together we watch these characters deal with a bioweapon attack which happens in western Asia, with its effects spreading, despite wind currents, across Europe and then to the United States.

Praise

If you focus on each of the three sets of stories, you can see a full length movie within itself. Like the story between Anna and Erik could easily be combined with Andy and Esther and make a quality and cohesive film. For the romance between Palmer and Badgley is not only cute, but compelling. As is this huge amount of guilt Andy has over his involvement in creating bio-weaponry, if just because he wanted to give his daughter, Erik's mom, a few more years. And while this may make you think Dawson and Hartnett's roles are just extra fat, if anything they too could be separated and with Dawson being Andy's lawyer, having marital issues with Hartnett, and then with the bioweapon outbreak, again you can see a full fledge and quality story come about.

Criticism

However, instead what is given is a story which has too many cooks in the kitchen, sort of speak. I say this because, like most films which try to spread its focus this thin, you never feel like you can truly get into the characters for your attention quickly gets snatched away as they move the focus to develop another set of characters. Then, to add onto the films problems, it doesn't go in chronological order. Which bugged me because not only was it not in order, but there was no notification so that you knew what the time-line is for when certain events happen. Such as whether the event took place 2 months before the bioweapon, during the bioweapon attack, or 2 days after the attack, and so on. And while details like that may not seem major to most, but when you are switching between sets of characters with the time period shifting, it does have the potential to confuse you. Also, considering the significant moments which Palmer, Badgley, Langella and Rowlands have, not presenting a chronological order, or at least informing you of the time period, does slightly weaken the overall story, as well as make it a bit more difficult to get the emotions from the actors and take it in.

Overall: TV Viewing

To me, this film is the prime example why splitting the focus between 3, or more, sets of characters should be avoided whenever possible. It leaves you wanting more when you really shouldn't have to, and you can always find one set, or one character's story, which is weak enough that you wished it was simply cut to accommodate the more focused on characters. And because of this slightly disjointed storytelling, and the inability to really get into the characters, I'm labeling this as "TV Viewing."