Before you can say “Sarah Connor,” the world goes up in a mushroom-shaped flash. Unfortunately, a diverse cross-section of a Manhattan apartment building is able to push their way into their Super’s bomb-shelter. Old Mickey is supposed to be a surly crank, but events seem to be vindicating his world view. Yet, despite having the foresight to stock up on Chef Boyardee and electric generators, he kept the place’s early Hostel décor.
Despite his myriad of faults, misanthropic Mickey will not be the most pressing problem for the churlish band of survivors. Indeed, freaky frat boys Bobby and Josh quickly depose their reluctant host as top bananas of the bunker. Of course, protagonist Eva’s fiancé is not capable of standing up to them. Being French, Sam instinctively practices appeasement.
Divide is thoroughly unpleasant and completely illogical. Granted, the end of the world is liable to bring out the worst in people, but reducing them to cross-dressing rapists goes beyond gratuitous. Likewise, the nefarious doings of the Hazmat team above makes no sense whatsoever, functioning merely as an episode to thin the bomb-shelter’s ranks.
It is truly depressing to see Rosanna Arquette so horrifically abused as Marilyn, a grieving mother rendered an animalistic sex object by Bobby and Josh. Toto’s song “Rosanna” was named after her, for goodness sake. In the lead, Lauren German is adequate, but unremarkable, while Law & Order: Criminal Intent’s Courtney B. Vance looks like he cannot wait for his comparatively cerebral neighbor character to die. Frankly, amid all the squalid madness, only Michael Biehn maintains a sense of dignity and humor as the cranky survivalist super. By now, he certainly knows how to get his screen-time’s worth in a B-movie.
