Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Aftershock’

Written by Scott Edwards 

​Going on a vacation is one of the best ways to unwind and just let you be yourself if only for a couple of days. As you don’t have the fear of what is happening in the world following you, you have a chance to let loose and just have some good old-fashioned fun. To keep sane, you should take a couple of these little trips a year and when you can maybe even do a staycation, though that does not work as well as leaving your house and traveling. You don’t need to travel far and with flights being pretty affordable, you will not have to pay an arm and a leg to get anywhere you want to go.
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While on vacation in Chile, Gringo has been able to make a new friend in Ariel who is more than willing to let the American tag along when it comes to the Chilean night life. With Ariel’s best friend Pollo leading the way, Gringo sees how things go, but he is really looking for a woman to help him take his mind off of his ex-wife’s new boyfriend. While each of the party spots is banging with ladies, Gringo just wants to sit down and talk to one, but he quickly finds out that this is not the way mingle at these events, he will have to be more charming and have some sort of game to keep them around.

During their final night in Chile, sisters Kylie and Monica are fighting over what they should do. While Kylie really wants to party nonstop, she always gets the okay from dad to do whatever her heart desires, while Monica is left to be the big sister who has to worry. When spotting the girls at the door, Pollo is able to get them into the club and convinces them to stay in town just one more night for the best party of the year. While the girls seem to think that this is a good idea, deep down Monica just wants to leave, but once again is overridden by her little sister. The three guys and three girls take a trip closer to the coast to see all of the beautiful sights and see the best that Chile has to offer, but their lives are about to change when the party of the year begins.

Arriving at the club, the group has a good time and while Gringo shows he has no game, he will not be alone for very long. An earthquake hits the city and while several people are hit and killed by falling debris, Gringo and his group are okay until Ariel tries to help the bartender who is being crushed by the shelving behind her. Being able to save her, the shelf falls forward cutting off Ariel’s hand and now the panic starts to set in for the group. Needing to get their friend to the hospital, the group hears the tsunami sirens going off and know that the city is about to be washed away. Needing to get to higher ground, Pollo quickly finds out that his money and connections will not save him, but Gringo and the girls will need him to navigate the city since none of them speak the language, much less know where they are. As the group moves through the streets, the find out that there is more to fear than the aftershocks or tsunamis as the people in the city prepare for the worse.

I love a good disaster movie and since this one has an earthquake, I was sure that I would enjoy it, but it is much more than that. After the earthquake hits and you are able to see who the good people are that are willing to help others, there are plenty of people that could care less about anyone else’s well-being. I liked the pleas for help and watching them being ignored, it seemed to add the reality that we all try to imagine does not exist in these situations. I really liked all of the characters, it is hard to pick out one being my favorite as they all add something special to the story, they even seemed to get along after the quake hit. This is one of those movies that does not pull any punches when it comes to what some people will do when a situation that they can take advantage of arises. With plenty of destruction and blood, there is also plenty of time to get to know the characters and when you do, you might start to tear up as they start to die off after the quake hits.

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