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Stories about survivors in a post-apocalyptic world continue to fascinate viewers in such streaming series as “Fallout” and “The Last of Us,” but “Homestead” likely marks the first time such a scenario has been used for a faith-based movie. And it definitely is the first time a theatrical film in that genre has been designed as the pilot for a TV series — a fact that, when it becomes clear in the movie’s final minutes, may strike many viewers as a bait-and-switch trick.
Indeed, the TV series gets what can only be described as emphatic promotion in those final minutes, complete with a kinda-sorta coming attraction trailer (not entirely unlike the one Kevin Costner employed at the end of “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1”). One of the lead actors appears on camera to directly address audiences about what lies ahead, along with an on-screen QR code that the audience can access for more information about continuing the narrative (for an additional price).
Yes, we’re encouraged to whip out our cellphones right then and there in the theater, no matter how much management has discouraged such activity. Insert joke here about how the Lord works in mysterious ways.
Popular on Variety This twist would be much more annoying, maybe even infuriating, if “Homestead” weren’t so involving dramatically and impressive technically. In fact, there probably are scads of people who won’t mind shelling out a few more bucks, if only to see how many of their favorite survivors — well, continue to survive.
It all begins when two brothers from an unidentified foreign country in a boat off the coast of California set off a nuclear weapon, causing massive damage and multiple deaths in the Golden State and beyond. (Later on, there is fleeting mention of a cyber-attack on the nation’s power grid, suggesting the siblings were not acting alone.) Ian Ross (Neal McDonough), a wealthy prepper for a cataclysm that would disrupt the social order, has constructed Homestead: a fortress-like mansion on a large spread in the Rocky Mountains where he, his family, and a dozen or so employees intend to ride out any upheaval. They are self-sufficient — solar panels for power, gardens to raise food, etc. — but even Ian recognizes that, sooner or later, they will need a lot more guns, and people who know how to use them.
Fortuitously, Ian took the precaution of contracting before the big kaboom former special service ops led by battle-toughened vet Jeff Eriksson (Bailey Chase) to provide additional security. But by the time Jeff arrives with his wife Tara (Kearran Giovanni), who has a vaguely defined military background, and their three children, chaos has spread through the outside world outside. Increasingly desperate folks are showing up to request, then demand, provisions. At first, Ian and his religious wife Jenna (Dawn Olivieri, who recently made quite a different impression as a very, very naughty lady in TV’s “Yellowstone”) insist that “the government or FEMA” eventually will set things right. Jeff expresses profound skepticism, and warns them to prepare themselves for the worst. Trouble is, there are situations where even a savvy tactician like Jeff may inadvertently understate potential danger.
Working from a satisfyingly plausible screenplay by Phillip Abraham, Leah Bateman and Ben Casica, which they adapted from the “Black Autumn” book series by Jeff Kirkham and Jason Ross, director Ben Smallbone (“Priceless”) does a fine job of amping the credibility quotient with smart details and minor characters, including an unseen ham radio operator who serves as a sporadic Greek chorus, a local bureaucrat who unwisely demands that Ian continue to follow deed restrictions and pay fees and a character who wonders aloud why, considering the power outages, they ever chose to buy a Tesla.
It’s broadly hinted that Georgie (Georgiana White), an abused child adopted by Jeff and Tara, has powers of precognition — she drew a picture of a mushroom cloud before the plot-propelling explosion occurred — but disappointingly little is made of this. Among the other dangling plot threads: A survivor who literally goes off his meds providing unreliable testimony, and a budding romance between Ian’s not-entirely sheltered home-schooled daughter Claire (Olivia Sanabia),and Jeff’s slightly more worldly son Abe (Tyler Lofton). Perhaps we’ll see more of all this in the TV spinoff.
On the other hand, another plot element planted midway through cleverly pays off in a surprising, Bible-referencing manner. Loaves and fishes, anyone?
The lead characters are well-cast across the board, with Chase and McDonough especially effective as complex, unpredictable characters whose sporadic conflicts go a long way toward developing a rooting interest in both men. Matthew Rivera’s striking cinematography and the movie’s special effects wizardry also are major selling points, along with Dawn Olivieri’s sympathetic portrayal of a woman who firmly believes that faith can move mountains. By the way: Her confidence is never mocked. This is at heart a faith-based movie, remember?
