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The Philosophers

Play trailer Poster for The Philosophers R 2014 1h 47m Mystery & Thriller Action Fantasy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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67% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 43% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A philosophy teacher (James D'Arcy) tells his students that they must choose 10 people from among their group to take shelter during a nuclear holocaust and reboot the human race.

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The Philosophers

Critics Reviews

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Phuong Le Guardian 05/20/2021
2/5
John Huddles's sci-fi thriller unintentionally succeeds in replicating the exact experience of playing "would you rather?" with a friend in a pub, as in it starts out with vague philosophical questions but ends up being utterly ridiculous. Go to Full Review Nicolas Rapold New York Times 02/06/2014
Both smugly clever and at times distastefully clueless. Go to Full Review Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times 02/06/2014
An unusually creative and ambitious film of ideas that offers so much more than its forgettable title and sensationalized publicity may imply. Go to Full Review Frank Ochieng SF Crowsnest 11/11/2018
2.5/4
Refreshingly, Dark wants to cryptically convey an honest conversation about the fate of mankind's fragile existence. Despite some questionable unevenness, a contemplative SF thriller that dares to assume its thinking cap in surrealistic experimental mode Go to Full Review Wesley Lovell Cinema Sight 03/15/2014
3/4
A heavy-handed and manipulative work of philosophical fiction featuring strong performances, but a troubled narrative. Go to Full Review Nikola Grozdanovic The Playlist 02/08/2014
D
Philosophical thriller After The Dark collapses under a nifty concept. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mackie T @RT95114279 Nov 11 Good premise, writing might of been rushed through, doesn't allow dynamic emotional expression of characters, maybe good for younger audiences thinking about what makes us valuable in community, would like to see another try, maybe with less characters, less scenarios and more character exploration and development :) See more Varomers F @RT25921102 Aug 12 Despite the interesting idea behind the thought experiment, the plot and the repulsive characters of the teacher and students are clearly taken from the film "God Is Not Dead" (2014). Some scenes literally copy this movie. However, strangely enough, this film is superior to "God Is not Dead" (2014) thanks to its idea and more logical approach. I do not think it is a good film, and I would not recommend watching it. See more David M @RT38144236 May 26 In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king. See more Brian H @RT25736836 Apr 5 Good concept. Interesting plot to start even if the acting was less than acceptable... then gets sucked into the hollywood version of reality virtues over values. See more Joshua M @RT09978087 08/28/2023 After the Dark as it is called on netflix is an impressively smug and pseudo-intellectual piece of film making wrapped in a grade 11 intro to philosophy level of meaning and allegories. Acting was wooden for some and the writing and directing did not help the matter. With some dialogue and scenes making me wonder why it wasn't left on editing floor. It's "twist" was as subtle as a cannon. Interesting in concept. Poor in execution. Still at times the film was pretty to look at. See more 03/12/2022 Teenager bullshit. The movie does not even make any sense. Why the hell should a philosophy professor make the whole class hate him without any plausible reason? Personal revenge? Show everyone the main character is dumb? That's stupid. See more Read all reviews
The Philosophers

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Cast & Crew

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John Huddles

Director

James D'Arcy

Mr. Zimit

Bonnie Wright

Georgina

Daryl Sabara

Chips

Sophie Lowe

Petra

Rhys Wakefield

James

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The Philosophers

The Philosophers (2013) The Philosophers (2013) The Philosophers (2013) The Philosophers (2013) The Philosophers (2013) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A philosophy teacher (James D'Arcy) tells his students that they must choose 10 people from among their group to take shelter during a nuclear holocaust and reboot the human race.
Director
John Huddles
Producer
John Huddles, George Zakk, Cybill Lui
Screenwriter
John Huddles
Distributor
Phase 4 Films
Production Co
An Olive Branch Productions
Rating
R (Sexuality|Brief Drug Use|Some Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Action, Fantasy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 7, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 7, 2014
Runtime
1h 47m
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