Using the Siskel/Ebert grading system, this movie gets two "thumbs up" from me. I've embedded the official trailer above, but it is so spare that it doesn't offer much of the sense of the movie, which is perhaps better conveyed by this excerpt, in which Chiwetel Ejiofor's character explains Carl Sagan's "cosmic calendar" to his ex-wife:
But for a full appreciation of the movie, I would recommend this 14-minute longwatch analysis and commentary:
Some will consider that commentary to be full of "spoilers" but in this case I think the reveals are appropriate in order to understand what is happening in the opening sequence when the "world" is coming to an end.
What impressed me was author Stephen King's choice of a glioblastoma multiforme as the cause of Chuck's death. Had he died in a vehicular accident or from other sudden trauma, the "universe" in his head would have just winked out. The glioblastoma, by contrast, slowly snakes its way through Chuck's head, and as it destroys or replaces his memories of California for example, the California of the universe slides into the ocean. The characters in his head can "see" their impending death and have time to react in their personal lives.
When the key monologue in the movie is delivered by Chuck's 6th grade teacher, I was surprised and delighted to see that the actress in that role - Kate Siegel - was the same actress who delivered the most important monologue in the miniseries Midnight Madness ("what happens when you die"), which was also directed by Mike Flanagan.
When the movie was released in 2025 it received mixed reviews from critics, but notably won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival - a distinction that normally leads to a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture - but that did not happen in this case, and I think the movie has been sadly overlooked.
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