Teenage American Daisy visits relatives in rural England while international tensions rise . Before long a nuclear device destroys London and the country is put under martial law and Daisy finds herself in a fight for survival
!!!!! SPOILERS !!!!!!
Yet another film featuring a teenager fighting to survive similar to THE HUNGER GAMES and THE MAZE RUNNER and like these films has a novel as a source . HOW I LIVE NOW does hint that it's going to be darker and bleaker than similar movies but then decides to blow everything with a scenario that is just too difficult to buy in to . It's trying to be more realistic than its peers but if you're going to be realistic then realism should be a prime concern and this is where everything falls down
As someone who grew up in the cold war era nuclear holocaust scared the heck out of me . Here it's used as a vague plot device . Nuclear bombs weren't a fun topic to research in the 1980s but watching stuff like THREADS did give a layman a rough idea of what happens when they explode . A nuclear device destroys London and yet TV cameras still work ? Wouldn't electro magnetic pulse ( EMP ) fry all the electronics in the surrounding area ? Ditto it would also destroy all the power supplies and yet the electricity stays on long enough to inform the characters and therefore the audience as to what's happening . Plot convenience while being contrived at the same time but many films use this so it's not unique to this one . However the story constantly keeps tripping itself up such as having a character state they're a long way from London and yet nuclear fall out instantly lands on them as they hear a nuclear explosion . In reality it would several hours and if fall out can reach them why didn't they experience the shockwave of a nuclear explosion ?
It's rather clear the nuclear device spoken about wasn't sent to its target via a delivery system such as a missile but left hidden similar to a terrorist bombing . Again there's a myth that you explode via conventional means it'll go up in the infamous mushroom cloud way . It won't . In order for the warhead to work it has to be delivered via the way it's designed otherwise all you've got is a "dirty bomb" unable to yield kilotons or megatons of explosive energy
This falls apart when it ties in with the rest of the scenario . Britain is being attacked by a "rebel / terrorist force" rather than a nation state but how likely is this ? A terrorist or rebel power doesn't have a nuclear delivery system and yet has the manpower and logistical support in order to invade an Island nation ? The last invaders to conquer the British Isles were the Normans and would be invaders like Napoleon and Hitler later found this impossible due to an accident of geography . A Island has borders that can be easily defended and difficult to breach and Britain also has a nuclear deterrent . If London had been nuked then surely that means the gloves have come off and any would be invader is going to get nuked in advance as they gather on the British shoreline ? I looked up Meg Rosoff's novel on Amazon and apparently it is similarly vague . THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy is vague as to its scenario but that film gripped me like a vice . With HOW I LIVE NOW everything falls apart when given the slightest bit of thought and is painfully contrived all the way up to its implausible happy ending
This is all a great shame because there's almost a great film trying to escape from its screenplay . Saoirse Ronan as the mentally ill teenager Daisy gives a great performance as she starts off as selfish to the point of narcissistic troubled teen and turns in to a mature woman by the end . I can see the storyline is concentrating on character development and here it does succeed . Director Kevin Macdonald does show a lot of talent but like BLACK SEA he seems to be a victim that he has been hired to direct an underdeveloped screenplay full of plot holes and contrivance . Both its star and its director deserved more as did the audience
!!!!! SPOILERS !!!!!!
Yet another film featuring a teenager fighting to survive similar to THE HUNGER GAMES and THE MAZE RUNNER and like these films has a novel as a source . HOW I LIVE NOW does hint that it's going to be darker and bleaker than similar movies but then decides to blow everything with a scenario that is just too difficult to buy in to . It's trying to be more realistic than its peers but if you're going to be realistic then realism should be a prime concern and this is where everything falls down
As someone who grew up in the cold war era nuclear holocaust scared the heck out of me . Here it's used as a vague plot device . Nuclear bombs weren't a fun topic to research in the 1980s but watching stuff like THREADS did give a layman a rough idea of what happens when they explode . A nuclear device destroys London and yet TV cameras still work ? Wouldn't electro magnetic pulse ( EMP ) fry all the electronics in the surrounding area ? Ditto it would also destroy all the power supplies and yet the electricity stays on long enough to inform the characters and therefore the audience as to what's happening . Plot convenience while being contrived at the same time but many films use this so it's not unique to this one . However the story constantly keeps tripping itself up such as having a character state they're a long way from London and yet nuclear fall out instantly lands on them as they hear a nuclear explosion . In reality it would several hours and if fall out can reach them why didn't they experience the shockwave of a nuclear explosion ?
It's rather clear the nuclear device spoken about wasn't sent to its target via a delivery system such as a missile but left hidden similar to a terrorist bombing . Again there's a myth that you explode via conventional means it'll go up in the infamous mushroom cloud way . It won't . In order for the warhead to work it has to be delivered via the way it's designed otherwise all you've got is a "dirty bomb" unable to yield kilotons or megatons of explosive energy
This falls apart when it ties in with the rest of the scenario . Britain is being attacked by a "rebel / terrorist force" rather than a nation state but how likely is this ? A terrorist or rebel power doesn't have a nuclear delivery system and yet has the manpower and logistical support in order to invade an Island nation ? The last invaders to conquer the British Isles were the Normans and would be invaders like Napoleon and Hitler later found this impossible due to an accident of geography . A Island has borders that can be easily defended and difficult to breach and Britain also has a nuclear deterrent . If London had been nuked then surely that means the gloves have come off and any would be invader is going to get nuked in advance as they gather on the British shoreline ? I looked up Meg Rosoff's novel on Amazon and apparently it is similarly vague . THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy is vague as to its scenario but that film gripped me like a vice . With HOW I LIVE NOW everything falls apart when given the slightest bit of thought and is painfully contrived all the way up to its implausible happy ending
This is all a great shame because there's almost a great film trying to escape from its screenplay . Saoirse Ronan as the mentally ill teenager Daisy gives a great performance as she starts off as selfish to the point of narcissistic troubled teen and turns in to a mature woman by the end . I can see the storyline is concentrating on character development and here it does succeed . Director Kevin Macdonald does show a lot of talent but like BLACK SEA he seems to be a victim that he has been hired to direct an underdeveloped screenplay full of plot holes and contrivance . Both its star and its director deserved more as did the audience