‘Fire City: End of Days’ Review
Stars: Tobias Jelinek, Danielle Chuchran, Keely Aloña, Kimberly Leemans, Eric Edwards, Simon Sorrells, Pelé Kizy, Brionne Davis, Derrick L. McMillon, Kristin Minter, Harry Shum Jr., Jen Oda | Written by Michael Hayes, Brian Lubocki | Directed by Tom Woodruff Jr.
Vine (Tobias Jelinek), a disillusioned demon, secretly lives with others of his kind in the world of humans sustained by their misery. Forced into a choice to save his brethren or an innocent human girl (Keely Aloña), the delicate balance between human and demon kind is threatened, which may result in war.
Fire City is… well, it’s hard to describe. It’s a mash of fantasy and horror so much to the point that I wouldn’t really be comfortable describing it as either. Story-wise, Fire City successfully builds its own little world and fills it with demons in a very short amount of time. As a viewer, I found it very easy to understand as well, even though the majority of the film takes place in one block of flats. The film is an intriguing tale, which doesn’t hold back on the dark moments or gore. The demons suddenly find that the humans they live with aren’t suffering anymore, which for a demon is very upsetting. What follows is an almost ‘whodunit’ tale as they try to figure out if it is a virus infecting them all, or some other malicious force at play.
I think the make up/practical special effects of this film will drive people into two camps. One camp will think it is really cleverly done, appreciate that the film was on a low budget and just let it bring more to the story. The other, well, they will point out that occasionally there are moments where it might look a bit less realistic and a bit more ‘old-school power rangers’ and will claim it ruined the whole experience for them. I would like to say here and now that I am firmly in camp one. I thought it was fantastic what they managed to achieve with the wild variety of ‘demons’ with none of them looking the same. It brings a whole new level to the film and helps it to stand out from the crowd.
This is topped off by small comedic moments. Have you ever seen a demon use google to try and find an answer? Well you will if you watch Fire City. This film could have gone overboard with the ‘freaky demons’ vibe and really pushed into strange territory, but it somehow manages to walk the line of surrealism and realism with ease which really works in its favour.
Fire City: End of Days is a bit of a marmite film. Some people might not enjoy it as much as others. If you focus on the story and let yourself get involved, I am sure you will find yourself enjoying this film as much as I did. Personally, I definitely think this film is worth a watch.
**** 4/5