this is one hell of a movie...and talking about hell literally!! The title is misleading and it has nothing to do with the end of the world. I wasted 1 hour of my life since I saw the 3/4 of the movie on fast forward. The story is a childish science fiction b movie. The plot is silly and the effects are for kids. It is really a low budget production. The acting is even worse. They all act like they play in a Hollywood blockbuster... Do yourself a favor and do something else instead of watching this one! I try to find a reason why I saw it till the end, and I can only say that every second passed I hoped for something different or a big twist... I have never written such an awful critic and I love movies, but I hate it when they mislead the public.

Not much real "horror" to see here, but The Day the World Ended is a far more competently directed movie than the Z-grade trash I usually review, so I'm going to cut it some slack. What we have here is a very average supernatural movie with underused actors and a weak script.The story follows a shrink, played by Natassja Kinski, who moves from NYC to some hillbilly village, where she meets standard-horror-movie-kid Ben (Bobby Edner), whom she takes into analysis. Randy Quaid disapproves. Stephen Tobolowsky shows up as Ben's headmaster who enjoys boning the overweight school nurse (WTF?). Seriously, I know Tobolowsky will star in anything, but what exactly was the point of this role? Why would he want it? He gets no memorable lines (and mind you Stephen can be extremely funny, read: Groundhog Day) and his character is an adult version of the teens from horror movies: he has sex, then he dies. So pointless.Anyway, the "dramatic" scenes are overblown and the movie is randomly filmed in a jerky, uncomfortable matter, typical of made-for-TV movies. But the film held my attention and, being the bad-movie-buff that I am, I knew TV productions could be way worse than this. The worst TV movie of all time has to be Airtight, by the way. This movie isn't very interesting, but not completely awful either.(r#28)

Why the producers of this film chose to name this with the title they did is a mystery. This is not a post apocalyptic thriller nor is it about the end of the world in any way. A typical low budget low quality thriller about a young boy who comes to believe that he is the offspring of an alien creature that is terrorizing a small town in Nevada. He uncovers suppressed memories of his mother who was killed by the frightened townsfolk. She however turns out to be a rather pretty human female and not anything like the alien creature. Which raises some obvious questions. First how does this pretty human female end up meeting and making love to an alien being in order to produce a rather human looking kid,who has no resemblance at all to the extraterrestrial daddy? Also what is not explained is the real reason why the townsfolk killed the boy's mother. Supposedly the boy's mother like him had some psychic powers but that alone cannot explain why the narrow minded townsfolk went after and killed her. This is not exactly your intelligent cerebrally stimulating movie, but at least the acting of RAndy Quaid and the beautiful Natassia Kinski saves the film from being a total flop.

Yes, I'm giving a higher mark to this film. There are several things that make this an above-par effort. The story will hold your interest, the cast is mature and the acting is with enough conviction. It gives a nice B-movie feel without resorting to bad CGI effects for a creature.The Day The World Ended has the classic cliché elements for a perfect B flick: a mysterious misunderstood child, a town with a secret, and an alien (or IS it?). While not a direct remake of the 1956 film of the same title, it utilizes the original film by showing segments on a TV seen within the story and showing that VHS video box cover as part of the child's interest in aliens. High production values combined with B movie flair work just enough to be passable entertainment for some, but if you enjoy the *wink-wink* of its intended fun, it comes out a winner. It has the look and feel of a decent X-Files episode with the more psychological horror elements of the newer Outer Limits. That's not bad at all, considering.Younger audiences may not give this a chance as the cast (except for the child) is well over 40, but I welcomed that element gladly as the older classic sci-fi/horror films always used a mature cast as well. They cast who would work well with the story instead of who was young and hot at the moment. By casting the way they did, this film will hold up better in years to come. Choosing a teen-looking cast would obviously date it when those stars have faded from the spotlight. Randy Quaid and Nastassia Kinski both give convincing performances, and Stephen Toblowsky adds just enough humor to his role as the principal.The creature itself is hit-or-miss: in some scenes it looks fine, in others it doesn't. But the fact that it was actually part person/puppet/mechanics helps a lot even if it's not entirely convincing, as these days too many films just use computer animation which becomes distracting like watching cheap animation mixed in with live action.Yes, this is a B movie. But it's a fun one, just like the old classics of its genre but with a bit more cussing and violence. Don't let the R rating keep you back on that part, as it's not gratuitous and just in the right doses. As for the MPAA's warning of a "sex scene"...it's so brief, rather awkward, and basically humorous that it's not even worth fretting over. Otherwise, those looking for sex and breasts better look elsewhere, this film concentrates on the story and its stronger psychological horror.Those who are collectors of -- and particularly of ones that are homages to -- old B films will be quite satisfied and not worry that the DVD has just the basics to offer, plus some inside views from Stan Winston and Shane Mahan on a commentary. Others just looking to pass the time might not find the price worth it. I personally think this one will be one that years from now will still entertain. It's good enough, smart enough, and doggone it -- just creepy enough that people might like it. I know I've enjoyed this one a heck of a lot more than the most recently hyped theatrical blockbuster yawners, so give this one a try with a big bowl of popcorn and enjoy! Don't have extreme expectations and you'll be fine!