FIRE CITY: END OF DAYS (review)

Review by Joshua Gravel

Fire City: End Of Days takes place in a world in which demons live among us.

Only to us humans they look like regular people.

The film focuses on a group of demons living in a run down apartment complex and feeding off of the misery and hatred of their human neighbors.  Until one morning when all of the humans suddenly see the error of their ways or find a more positive outlook on life which immediately puts an end to the demon’s source of nourishment.

After trying to interfere with the humans in an attempt to cause drama and suffering with no luck, the demons begin to realize that life as they know it may never be the same unless they find out what caused the spread of human happiness.

Fire City: End Of Days is an inventive and original film from concept to execution.

Writers Michael Hayes and Brian Lubocki have created an entire universe of their own which is rich with interesting characters and one can easily see how they hope to build upon this world. Director Tom Woodruff, Jr. does a great job of navigating a potentially convoluted plot while striking a balance between the human characters and the demon characters that allows the viewer to get to know all of the distinct characters while being wowed by the practical effects on display.

And the practical effects are the true strong point of Fire City: End Of Days.

Woodruff’s company Amalgamated Dynamics Inc handled the films creature effects and they are one of the best companies in the business so it makes sense that the creature work in this film is fantastic. In an industry over run with noticeable CGI it is fantastic to see a film full of creature characters that are being portrayed by actors who can give their characters life as they interact with the “human” characters.

The only drawback of Fire City: End Of Days is that the low budget lends itself to an uneven overall look. Many of the scenes have a noir-ish lighting design and feel while others seem flat with lighting that is unflattering to the effects work. Although this is a minor complaint in the end as I am definitely recommending that everyone who likes creature based films and neo-noir thrillers to check out Fire City: End Of Days as soon as possible.