Let's be realistic.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

(Spoilers are ahead. I talk about the end so don't say I didn't warn you) Saw this on IFC in Theaters service, though I know the DVD recently came out.With only four days left before a meteor is to crash into the earth, the governments of the world tell the populations of the world. As panic and prayer ensue one man tries to make peace with himself, the world and his family. Unfortunately a serial killer has gotten out of prison and made his way to the family house in the country. Forced through circumstance he must now protect his brothers children before the meteor kills everyone on the face of the earth.Talk about damned if you do damned if you don't. This is not a particularly happy movie. they basically tell you at the start that there is no hope, so the question is do you lay down and go now or fight until the last possible minute. thematically this is the life of anyone who ever has been told they are going to die and decided to fight to the bitter end. I'm not sure we need a film this bleak to lay it out for us.Actually I'm not sure what to think of this film. Its two excellent films, an end of the world tale beautifully made and nicely well modulated, more so since the whole notion of the adults knowing whats coming and the kids don't adds a nice shading to the tale. At the same time the serial killer story is well done and scary, with some nicely nasty turns. The problem is that in the process of shoehorning them together both stories are kind of undone. The meditative nature of the end of the world tale (which I should say kind of reminds me of Andre Tarkovsky's The Sacrifice) gets lost when faced with the serial killer. The serial killer plot while very tense is short circuited by knowing beating hims doesn't matter. I have no doubt that should something like a meteor threaten the earth something like this could happen, but at the same time watching it kind of seems pointless. If the film could have somehow made the two parts work better together this might have been a great film. As it stands its a good film thats too bleak to contemplate and too fractured to feel satisfying.Worth a try, but you'll know where its going from the outset so don't say I didn't warn you.6 out of 10 because of its fractious nature. the pieces are actually much higher than that.

I personally cherish a vast fascination for apocalyptic-themed Sci-Fi & horror movies and have seen a truckload of titles in this style, but I can honestly state I have never seen anything quite like Javier Guttierez' "Before the Fall". It's one of the most emotionally unsettling, uniquely structured, unpretentiously honest and hauntingly beautiful movies I've ever seen in my life. "Before the Fall" isn't just a movie about an all-devastating meteorite; this is a movie about choices, personal sacrifices, unconditional devotion, persistence and even a tiny sparkle of hope. The vast majority of "the-end-is-near" movies deal with trying to find a method to prevent the apocalypse from happening and/or focus on a small group of people as they are preparing a new beginning for after the complete destruction. Guttierez' film – deeply impressive for a long feature debut – makes it pretty clear and irrefutable that there isn't any chance left of avoiding or surviving the Armageddon. The fade has been determined and everyone's doomed, but this magnificent parable handles about HOW to spend those precious last numbered days. This concept is utmost simplistic and straightforward but actually I haven't seen it in any other movie ever before, so even that "Before the Fall" is similar to a whole list of movies, it constantly feels original and courageous. The governments of all nations in the world one morning announce that a large meteorite will inevitably collide with earth in three days. They knew it longer already, but waited with the announcement in order to avoid anarchy, mass-hysteria and chaos as much as possible. That quickly turns out a wise decision, as anarchy, mass-hysteria and chaos are the only things ensuing after the announcement. The plot follows Ale, a small town carpenter who still lives with his mother and is generally regarded as a lazy and non-ambitious lowlife. Ale always lived in the shadows of his older brother Thomas, who became an immortal hero after helping to capture a notorious child murderer 15 years ago. Thomas is now successful, married and the father of four children. Immediately after the announcement of the upcoming apocalypse, riots in prison cause all criminals to escape, including the child murderer. Ale's mother is convinced the killer wants revenge against Thomas, but since he and his wife are abroad, she begs Ale to accompany her and protect the children. Ale is reluctant to spend existence's final three days babysitting, but gradually changes his mind as he notices the threat of the child killer is for real and because his nieces and nephews are still unaware of the imminent apocalypse. "Before the Fall" unfolds as a tragic drama, then converts into a highly exciting action-thriller and then eventually converts back into a tragic drama. Throughout the entire middle section, when Ale is trying to safeguard the children from a potential serial killer, the suspense and ambiance are so intense that you almost forget the Armageddon is approaching as well. Ale fights a battle to protect the kids and survive himself as well … only to die all together a couple of days later. As a viewer you constantly know this, but still you support and hope for Ale and the kids to remain alive as long as possible and even longer. "Before the Fall" is an enchanting, beautiful and thought-provoking movie with stupendous acting performances, chilling music and breath-taking filming locations. Careful sensitive viewers, as the movie also contains a handful of confronting bits of harsh violence, graphic bloodshed and nihilistic carnage. Easily the most overwhelming and dazzlingly brilliant movie I've seen in the past years; nothing short of a masterpiece.

The 72 hours before a comet strikes is just enough time to launch a cult film about the struggle of good versus evil. This film may not go far with the Euro-Film-Fest Seventh-Art crowd, but it will definite have legs to stand on for a long time.3 Días or Three Days (US title) or Before the Fall, (international title), examines the actions of a man stressed almost to the breaking point by outrageous fortune. It is directed by F Javier Guttiérez, and written by him and Juan Velarde. This is a period of three days before the end of the world, in a small town in Spain. What would the general population do if they knew the Earth would be destroyed in three days? You'll have to do most of the imagining yourself, because the film only gives a glance at what is happening in the outside world. This film focuses on one man's efforts to save his family from evil of others in the microcosmic environment of an isolated area of the Spanish interior.The film is very well made, but the philosophical incongruities of this film's premise undercut the experience for me. It is an odd study of human nature, that this man has no time to ponder his own life, his own personal disappointments and philosophy, but must spend the last 72 hours of existence in this primitive struggle against evil. However, despite the peculiarity and perhaps improbable behavior of the protagonist, it is filmed with subtlety. The land seems timeless, the sun searingly close and the wind explosive. The direction is also excellent, not only for the major characters but for everyone that comes before the camera, and the people are dangerous and inscrutable and very cinematic. In keeping with the apocalyptic theme, there are some bloody scenes, though none are particularly gruesome. The scenes of violence against young children, however, are difficult to take.Victor Clavijo plays the part of Alejandro with amazing energy and emotional involvement. This is acting that is worthy of award attention, but although the film was considered in the pre-selection for the European Film Awards in 2008, it did not make it to the final round. It is the kind of acting that usually gets ignored at the European Film Awards: physicality and pathos don't play well across the European cultural divide. It was also produced by Antonio Banderas, an important figure in international cinema with the smell of Hollywood about him, not exactly considered an eau de cologne at EFA. Add to that its aura of genre film, kind of sci-fi, fantasy and El Mariachi cultish. It is easy to see why the film has been totally ignored for EFA awards in 2008.The screenplay, written by the director Guttiérez and Juan Velarde, won the Best First Screenplay award at the Málaga Film Festival, and that, I would say, is about as far as the awards should go for this script, since the script is probably one of the weakest elements here. It effectively sets up the situation and develops the tension in an exciting way, but there are the usual lapses of logic that occur when a European auteur film has not gone through a thorough review. Who are the violent criminals in the early scenes? Why does the grandmother wander away? Why would the children accept this situation without question? These are irritating problems that could have easily been fixed with some more careful scripting.In general, it is a satisfying genre film, an action-slash-slasher film in an unusual setting, and it serves to introduce Clavijo, a well known Spanish TV actor, to the international cinema. Though it is not my cup of tea, I think this film will continue to attract viewers for years to come as it spreads beyond Europe just below the radar.

I saw this movie in Espoo Cine (Helsinki). I'm still in shock. I really love it. I have never seen something like this. It's truly different, risky and original. A strange and hypnotic mix of genres (Sci-fi, thriller, horror, fantasy, drama), so well done, so powerful, so visual, so artistic, so straight, so special. Hard and tender at the same time. Yes, hard because of some intense sequences (there are some really controversial, violent, realistic and uncomfortable moments) but also moving and touching (this movie touches you something deep inside). Yes, this strange film is really hard on the surface but warm and tender under it (as the main character of the story). It's a rare, original and unusual tale of fears, love, pain and humanity. Since the moment it finished (with brave, brilliant and artistic shot full of sadness and beauty) I knew it: It's different, it's special, it's "unique".