Review - Rusty Ryan
**Now on DVD/DIGITAL**
Synopsis: Vine, a disillusioned demon, secretly lives with others of his kind in the world of humans sustained by their misery.
Review: Fire City: End Of Days is a film about demons hiding in plain sight among us regular folk, while feeding our emotions and occasionally our blood. It plays out as quite the interesting mess. Fire City is an imaginative and visually appealing film but the confusing story line might make it a tough movie to dig into.
Labeling this genre bender is challenging. Does anyone know if there is a cinema category for a “Demon Horror Drama”?
In simple terms, this is a dramatic story of a disillusioned demon that finds his nature conflicted because of his concerns for humanity. And he ultimately must choose between the two. We, as viewers, can see the true form of the demons but to the humans in the film the demons look like regular people. On the surface this sounds like a great premise. But the execution is jarring, confusing and contradictory. Much of the confusion comes by showing the demons with their intricate facial makeup/prosthetics in ordinary everyday situations. Many of these demons are scary in appearance but it’s strange having these fantastic looking creatures talking on a cell phone or sitting in front of a computer. Something just does not click.
The imaginative creature makeup is reminiscent of Clive Barker’s Nightbreed or the Richard Stanley/John Frankenheimer version of Island of Dr. Moreau. The director, Tom Woodruff Jr. is a masterfully accomplished special effects wizard. His mouth watering credits include The Terminator, Aliens, The X Files, The Monster Squad, Starship Troopers, and EVP: Alien vs. Predator. This is his directorial feature film debut. He has previously directed some shorts including a related nine minute short called Fire City: King of Miseries.
In short, Fire City comes across as a good episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel. The acting is acceptable and the demon makeup is worth a look. Don’t look for any deep hidden insight into human relationships or demon relationships for that matter.
2 out of 5 stars.
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