The Wasteland Reviewer

It Ends (2026) Written Review

How far will you drive down an endless highway? The endless trees flying by you. The infinite stretch of blacktop along the way. The strain both on you physically and as well as on your mental stability. This journey will imbue you with an onslaught of dread that never seems to end. A Sisyphean task that has no rhyme or reason to it but a wondrous sense of an otherworldly power that looms over you. Making his feature directorial debut, writer/director Alex Ullom drops four friends on a late-night food run into a Jeep Cherokee and onto an endless highway with little hope of getting out. 

How does Ullom craft this film with such a restrained and limited concept? There is an endless feeling of dread that permeates the entire film. Ullom understands what is terrifying about this scenario. There are plenty of shots of this car driving down a non-descript highway through endless woods. The way each shot is framed does wonders about capturing the sizable investment the is needed to make this journey real. The endless trees flying by and the changing days and nights just feel like they are beating down your soul. The editing is sharp as well especially when concealing some of the more unnerving elements of the film. Ullom creates poignant intensity and tension from the first revelation that something is wrong with this late-night grub run. The moments where more supernatural elements make themselves seen are directed with vigor and intensity. The film doesn’t always keep up its pace despite being such a lean runtime. There is a lot of talking and the narrative beats get repetitive after a while which makes the pacing suffer. As the film goes on, there are some powerful emotional beats that will hit nicely and hard (especially after so many genre elements making themselves known). 

Does the screenplay from Ullom match the impressive eye behind the camera? The writing of the film is the most obvious choice for the “weak link”. The metaphor for this Sisyphean is clear and lacks any real dimensions to make a deeper or richer conflict. The film might feel overzealous with its premise as the whole crew is grouped in and desperately makes sure you understand there is some true tension. The film does begin to feel repetitive after a while with each conversion struggling to stand out amongst the rest. The four main characters do bring a needed sense of depth and give the audience more reason to connect with them and root for them. Each character (of the main four) gets moments to shine and expand their characters. The presence of gives them plenty of space and opportunities to flesh out the characters through their dialogue, actions, and dynamics with others. There is enough in each of these characters to give you a beacon to navigate this wide, open nightmarish hellscape. Ullom finds a solid bit of mystery and tension as this story plays out. 

How does the cast help elevate this experience? More of the most important elements to praise for It Ends committed and young cast. Each of the four main cast members bring their characters to life so vividly. Mitchell Cole is Tyler, the quieter and more grounded of the quartet. Cole injects a strong presence into the role that makes his appearance throughout the film more compelling.  As Tyler finds his fate in this endless space, you feel the truth in his facial expressions and body language. Akira Jackson and Noah Toth bring Day and Fisher to life who are the more livingly and high energy members of this crew. Jackson and Toth express their feelings so vividly throughout the film that it makes it easier to empathize with. There is a strong bit of emotion as well as these two actors delivering some tragic and moving beats in the film. The real standout of this quartet is certainly Phinehas Yoon. James is the most outwardly affected by this horrific and unnerving scenario and Yoon delivers that emotion perfectly. James’ descent in emotional state is a wonder to watch, and Yoon brings it to life with vigor and authenticity. The way he captures frustration and fraying sanity is something quite special. This crew of young performers is quite impressive and makes a film about a small group going completely unhinged over the course of its runtime that is more compelling and engaging. 

Does Ullom’s feature-length debut deliver a worthwhile cinematic experience? There are few films out there in recent memory that fully understand their premise and run with it so confidently. There are certainly written limitations on how Ullom brings the concept to life, but the cinematic language of the piece does the film great justice. The young and talented cast make so much of their roles and truly elevate the experience along the way.