What Still Remains (2018) Poster

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6/10
End of the World
billcr126 September 2018
Lulu Antariksa is the lead here and she is very good. She lives alone in a cabin and is self sufficient. Along comes a man who claims to lead a community of good people. It turns out to be a group of religious fanatics with overtones of A Handmaid's Tale. This material has been done better before in 1984 and Handmaid's Tale. It is worth watching for the performance of the lead actress. She should have a bright future. A 6.5/7
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5/10
It's the end of the world as we know it.
peterp-450-2987161 October 2018
Dreams give us hope. And if we don't have hope, then what's the point in living?

After reading the synopsis of this movie, your reaction will probably be the same as mine at that time. "Jesus, not again another post-apocalyptic film in which the world's population has been decimated to a handful of survivors, while the earth's surface is plagued by bloodthirsty zombies or warlike aliens who are fed up eating salt-less potatoes already for years and start to plunder our natural salt mines here on earth". Well, in essence, it sort of comes down to that, but the apocalyptic part isn't really noticeable. You won't see any zombie or alien. Then again, the epidemic that caused the extinction of the world's population, has broken out 25 years ago. Perhaps that's why the emphasis here is on the survivors instead of the Apocalypse itself.

Anna (Lulu Antariksa) is such a survivor. She's 19 years old and therefore hasn't really experienced the happening. She lives secluded in a fairly protected domain (although a wooden fence is not really something that could stop a zombie stampede) along with her deathly ill mother and her brother David (Roshon Fegan). But after a while, she stays behind all alone when her mother dies a natural death and her brother falls into the hands of a stranger who whistles like a cowboy. At first, it's not clear in whose hands he has fallen. Afterward, you'll come to know that there are wandering groups that are called "berserkers" and that hunt other people for supplies. What people should really be afraid of in this dilapidated society, remains a mystery throughout this movie.

So, don't expect something similar to "How it ends". It's more like "Holy ghost people". The day Peter (Colin O'Donoghue) apparently accidentally turns up at Anna's house, it seems as if he has a way out to a more worry-free life for Ann. He's the co-founder of a religious commune that offers protection and friendly companionship. Something Anna needs, now that she's alone and lonely. The calmness and kindness that Peter exudes (as befits a true spiritual leader) convinces her. She didn't know there were some flies in the ointment. Eventually, it seems like she was invited for very different reasons. And before she realizes it, she finds herself in a similar situation. Kind of imprisoned. Only at a different location.

"What still remains" isn't an exciting film with nerve-racking confrontations and fierce life-and-death battles. It's rather a socio-drama and a "coming of age" in a world that tries to get back on its feet. It's a story about trust and mistrust. And, of course, the revival of isolated communes where individuals position themselves above others in a certain way, in order for them to sail a safer course. That there's a religious aspect, is quite logical. In the face of adversity, there's always that moment when people start focusing on a higher power. The fact there are clever people who then misuse this in their favor and come up with their own form of religion, is also not earth-shattering. The most positive aspect of this film is the interplay between Lulu Antariksa and Colin O'Donoghue. For the rest, it brings nothing new and you get an I-have-seen-this-already feeling. Only I caught myself humming "It's the end of the world as we know it". Only the phrase "And I feel fine", felt out of place.
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6/10
A Bit Preachy
slak96u6 April 2023
What Still Remains is well made, with a strong emphasis on character development and atmosphere. The post-apocalyptic world is convincingly portrayed, with a palpable sense of danger and uncertainty. The film also explores themes of faith, trust, and survival, and it does so in a way that is both thought-provoking and engaging.

One of the strengths of the film is the performances of the lead actors. Lulu Antariksa is excellent as Anna, portraying her character with a mixture of toughness and vulnerability. Colin O'Donoghue is also very good as Peter, bringing a sense of charm and charisma to his role.

However, while the film is well made, it does suffer from some pacing issues. The first half of the movie is slow, with not much happening in terms of plot. This may be off-putting for some viewers, but for those who stick with it, the film does pick up in the second half.

Overall, "What Still Remains" is a well-crafted post-apocalyptic thriller that explores themes of faith, trust, and survival. While it may not be for everyone, those who enjoy this type of film should find it to be an engaging and thought-provoking experience.
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1/10
I feel duped but it's my fault
alexwinterclap-180431 September 2018
I'm not going to lie. I was lured in by the 100% Rotten Tomatoes and the 10/10 ratings here on IMDB. It should have been red flag enough when I saw Mimi Rodgers was in the cast about an end of the world apocalypse (The Rapture, anyone?)

Alas I didn't listen to my own gut feeling and trudged forward. 90 minutes later i sought my sanity and went through reviews more deeply. Blasted quick draw!

Generally speaking, the female lead does a good job with what she's given and Ben, the loyal security lackey, does fine. But everything else is basically regurgitated tropes from movies or TV shows that did it better, more creatively and with a sense of cinematic substance. This was like watching a school project.

I wish I had made the right decision and spent those 90 minutes cleaning my dirty oven, or staring at my couch, or hunting Sphinx wasps in 115 degree weather. As a note, I'm uncertain if Sphinx wasps can survive in 115 degree weather...or for that matter the 90 minutes of this movie.

Like I said earlier: I even came back to delve more deeply into IMDB reviews to see if I had missed something. Which I had. So this is my gift to you - that you might not miss this. Do NOT watch this movie. Rest assured, you'll be more entertained by my review than the movie. And if you're not entertained by my review, I believe I've proven my point.
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2/10
Beware of reviews that mention the director by Name.
sschwedes2 November 2018
I have learned over the years that any time I see a review or reviews that continuously name the director and how great he is the red flag will now go up for me. Family, friends, production crew, all are told to hype the movie to get sales (and make sure you mention the director). Run away and save your money.
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2/10
Terrible !
dennis-giles6720 August 2018
Imagine a episode of "The Walking Dead/Fear" remove 85 % of that episodes budget,and bring in a team of gerbils to write the script,and you have this all sewn up !
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7/10
Loved! would highly recommend a watch
abbielouise-7415030 August 2018
My expectations for this film in all honesty weren't the highest, but as a fan of Colin O'Donoghue i was excited to watch it. I'm honestly so glad i did, not only did the film surpass my expectations with an interesting storyline set so far after the devastation of the world, but the characters had such in depth personalities and backgrounds that you couldnt help but be endeared to them and hooked to their stories. Lulu Antariksa did a fantastic job of playing a young woman developing her strength throughout the film.

not only have i enjoyed watching the film multiple times, but it has brought back my inspiration for producing fan art on Instagram which i will forever be grateful whilst in a rut!
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2/10
Don't trust the good reviews
BifArden7 January 2019
Seriously, I believed the reviews and decided to watch this...waste of my time. Nothing really happened. It really is like a TV pilot episode with a low budget. It wasn't even really post apocalyptic. There was no climax, either. Basically the movie flatlined, then crashed and burned near the end. If this was a TV episode, I wouldn't even watch a second.
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7/10
I thought it was good
brookenichole-9805414 April 2020
I did like this movie. I mainly watched it for Colin but also Lulu. The acting from both was great which surprised me! I had seen Lulu in one show before but she stood out in this. And Colin was awesome as usual as with the part he was given. All of their emotions were displayed on screen perfectly. The whole twist with the village was insane. It blew my mind how crazy it was. Now there was some things that weren't great. I didn't care for how they barely showed the berserkers or go deeper into what the village was. I thought there also needed to be more suspense. However, this movie was pretty good and had great acting. I would say to give it a try!
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1/10
Laughing out loud...
livinglifing17 August 2018
Yet another film that draws you in because of high marks on rating sites left by cast, crew and their friends and relatives. I found myself laughing 10 minutes in because I realized I had been duped into watching a horrible "movie" yet again...
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OK, but not that Satisfying
MZO70414 August 2018
The acting was ok , the pace was slow, it felt boring in many parts, unsatisfying obvious plot twist and (no zombies, WHY?).
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10/10
Not your usual post apocalyptic movie
teppistella9530 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
What I've loved about What Still Remains was how it didn't focus on zombies, but how an apocalypse affects human beings, and the tagline says it all: people do become their own kind of monsters. The community had rules you could understand by reading through the lines, just like two phrases that made me cringe more than anything else. It shows you how messed up something without rules can become, or rather, how it can become if the rules aren't the ones applied nowadays and are driven by human desire. This isn't a post apocalyptic movie, it's something else entirely, and this is why I loved it. I might have watched it for one actor in particular - who portrayed amazingly his character, as the others did, especially Lulu with Anna, a strong female lead I've loved - but I found myself loving it anyway.
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7/10
Not the worst.
meangirl198220 December 2021
I have sat thru a lot worse movies. I watched it based on seeing Lulu in a show "Tagged" and was not disappointed by her acting. I just wish the writing was a little deeper. It scratches at the surface of a lot of things but never gives enough. Probably won't be giving it another rewatch.
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2/10
MORE OF A TV EPISODE THAN A MOVIE
willoughbyjoy22 August 2018
I have to agree with the review by "Laughing out loud". I watched this movie for its high ratings, which, I am now convinced, are fake. This movie feels more like a pilot episode for a TV series than an actual movie-theater movie (clan vs. clan with a heroine centerpiece - *sigh). If I had wanted to watch television, I would have watched television. I mean, even low-budget indie films will sometimes offer a gritty little worthwhile movie, and I was hoping for something close. But, honestly, you won't find it here. Don't waste your time.
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3/10
fake reviews are the issue with this site
natcalgary26 November 2018
All the reviews are perfect and all of the profiles were just created and have only reviewed this movie. red flags??? not a good movie ok for background noise

3
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2/10
Sick and tired of crazy religious movies
ShftyEyedGoat24 August 2018
Tired, overdone, irrelevant. Could we get some creativity instead of a them or us mentality? I can't tell at this point if people are making these because they're for or against a Christian religion surviving 'the apocalypse'. Yeah, hard pass.
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1/10
Skip it!
xxjamesperryxx23 December 2018
Just watch the Walking Dead reruns. This one is a waste of time.
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6/10
Mediocre Movie But Still Worth Watching
fredgfinklemeyer23 December 2018
12/23/2018 It's OK and the acting was decent but the purpose and foundation of the movies contrived/forced, alot to unreal. An old rerun end-of-the-world theme, at best. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. You decide? Bon Appetit

False ending by reviewer: Anna walks off into the night on her way to see the ocean (never saw it before) quickly comes over a hill and there it is, her watery dream. Little does Anna know, it is butt a duck pond. Not knowing she still looks happy/makes for good ending camera shot. Duck dirt stuck in between Anna's little piggies should have been a clue? Quack Quack My ending makes as much sense as this movie.
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1/10
Boring, clichéd, stylized garbage.
i_am_bryony25 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
If youve seen the deadful Book of Eli, then youve seen quite a lot of this POS already. It suffers from many of the same problems, not least of which is that the actors are all immaculately turned out and groomed, despite them living in a post apocalypric world. There is no evidence of land management or animal husbandry, but somehow still have barbers and eyebrow salons.

Add to that the fact that Anna has been living her whole life, an estimated 20 years, less than a day or two's walk from a large religious settlement in an area crawling with diseased mutants, but has somehow avoided detection for the entire time. Seems legit.

Now, every single one of the actors involved in this must have realised that it was a giant turkey at the same time and they seem to have conspired to make this the most insipid, unenthusiastic, dull plod of a movie of the last 10 years. Since the Book of Eli in fact.

At first I thought I had been duped again and was watching yet another christian propaganda piece, but even though they hammered the christian motif home over and over at the beginning, it turns out that the religious types were the baddies.

it turns out that the mutants are the goodies, sort of, but they too have a warped sense of morality, something that might have made for a much better movie, but its never explored.

The whole thing looks like it was a vehicle for Lulu Antariksa, but her acting ability is non existent. I think we're supposed to ignore that because she's so beautiful or something, but nobody, no matter how good they look on screen, could have saved this miserable goose turd of a film.
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5/10
Season 10, The walking dead in one film
donttouchmeprimate18 September 2018
No seriously. This film is actually more entertaining in a way. It's a low budget suspense thriller which is delivered by a decent cast but it does hit a bunch of clichés, which you will - of course, see coming a mile away and that shows down the pace somewhat when you're just waiting for the obvious to be over and done with.

All in all though, I had fun with it even with the blobs of lazy writing.

So yeah, Walking dead sucks.
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9/10
Very Good strong woman story
mrgolmos28 August 2018
This film is very good in that it's a story about a young woman devastated by the loss of her community when this person shows up and convinces her to come along and join their community while living in. Human desease infected area.

The lead female actress was a great role for her!
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4/10
Feels more like a pilot episode to a failed TV show than a movie
markwha21 February 2019
This film reminded me of a value meal at a fast food restaurant. It looks good for a low budget but leaves you feeling unsatisfied and wanting something with much more substance.
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1/10
All that's wrong with movies and rating
abethompson3 September 2018
This movie is trash... religious propaganda disguised as a post-apocalyptic thriller. There is nothing thrilling about this 90 mins of drool. Crappy actors, crappy script piss-poor costumes on a budget. Actors wear make up...just waste of time. rating 1 to counter the religious zealots filling up with 10.
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1/10
Abolutely among the worst films I've watched
gothix9927 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I will admit that I chose to watch What Still Remains simply for Colin O'Donoghue. What a mistake. Idiotic plot, terribly wooden acting, childlike fight scenes. I cannot find anything positive about this film. I am so embarrassed for O'Donoghue. I think he tried, however, even his acting skills were absent. Another reviewer likened the dialogue and acting to RPG characters - perfect analogy!
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5/10
More Action needed
jn-73-71498214 August 2018
Would have been better if they focused on more action, what are the infected looks like, and maybe a three way gore between all groups!
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