‘Aftershock’ Review Roundup

Aftershock hits theaters May 10, and a few critics got an early look. See what they had to say.

Aftershock is about a group of travelers in Chile who visit an underground nightclub, when a major earthquake hits. When they reach the surface, the real nightmare begins.

Directed by Nicolás López, Aftershock stars Andrea Osvart (Duplicity), Ariel Levy, Eli Roth (Grindhouse), Lorenza Izzo, Natasha Yarovenko, Nicol, and Selena Gomez.

The first half hour is filled with fun scenes of young party-goers just living it up. Everybody’s a foreigner who ends up paying for his or her sins in gruesome ways. Gringo (Eli Roth) is a divorcee who only goes by his nickname, and he’s out for a chance to get laid, striking out with Selena Gomez in a brief cameo. His friends include the shy Ariel (Ariel Levy) and Pollo (Nicolas Martinez), the son of a tycoon. The three meet boozing California wild child Kyle (Lorenzo Izzo), her Hungarian and sober half-sister Monica (Andrea Osvart), and their Russian model girl pal Irina (Natasha Yarovenko), and the debauchery attempts to ensue.

Then the earthquake hits and they escape to the surface, one of them already wounded. Soon the tsunami alarm begins.

Aftershock is less of a grindhouse film than a disaster film that takes queues from ’70s and ’80s films of the same genre. There is really nothing original in Aftershock. Much like the horror film cliches call for, the deaths pretty much occur in the order of the misdeed committed. If you’ve ever seen the Stallone film Cliffhanger, it’s about the same here. You know who’s going next because they start doing something stupid. Gringo has a rather awkward screen presence, but it’s at least partially justified by his character, who’s just a nice guy looking for some local kicks.

Social anarchy rules the film for most of its length, with escaped convicts creating a threat where the natural disasters apparently aren’t enough.

If you’re into mindless grindhouse and disaster films, this film may be enough to sate your thirst. If you’re looking for something with substance or originality, look elsewhere.

What do you think of Aftershock?