Written and directed by Pablo Behrens, when an alien visitor discovers it can communicate with Earth’s oceans, it becomes the only intermediary between humanity and a vast marine intelligence whose patience with the human race is running out. Voiced by Marcus Darivas and Anastasia Pillar.
At the heart of London’s Last Wilderness is creativity, instead of trying to create new worlds, using what you have at your fingertips and simply shifting the perspective. Appreciating what the natural landscape has to offer, its intricacies and organic curiosities, and using that to build a story around. Except, that admiring the unique, practical and thrifty spirit of London’s Last Wilderness is the majority of what it has to offer, beside some great visuals.
There are some excellent aerial shots which show viewers parts of Britain that even its veteran inhabitants probably never knew existing. They’re satisfying to watch and captured well, but when Pablo Behrens switches up the directorial style to something on the ground, it cheapens the experience. It becomes something mundane, and interestingly, it would probably benefit from less human involvement. As soon as people enter the screen, it becomes much harder to commit to its other-worldly premise.
As it then moves forward, it becomes fairly tedious. Part of the problem being the voice work, the tone that Marcus Darivas takes feels like he’s doing an impression of an alien from classic film. It’s monotone and incredibly sombre and slow, there’s very little personality and no emotion. Meaning that it’s difficult to take in what he’s saying when it’s simply blending into the background. Your mind tends to drift off while trying to listen to it and the impact is lost.
Although, London’s Last Wilderness does have a relevant message. In recent years in particular water quality and safety has been a key issue in the UK, so exploring that plus conversation makes for a poignant blend. However, while the intention is there and it’s got a lot of accurate takes on the topics, this is likely only going to work for a niche group of people who can really invest in what it’s saying because it’s mostly asking viewers to do the work, rather than creating a discussion.
London’s Last Wilderness has an unusual concept and while it is an interesting idea, the execution feels flat. Pablo Behrens gets plenty of points for creativity but that can only take the film so far. Even coming in at an hour, it feels too long and like this message could have easily been made with a short film. It struggles to hold your attention and feels one-noted, so while it does have a good, relevant message, its impact is lacking and it struggles to leave a lasting impression.
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