I was a fan of David Michôd’s first feature-length film, Animal Kingdom. It was surreal even though it was set in the real world. Michôd does not need the apocalypse to be shocking. He just turns the rocks over and starts filming. So it is unsurprising that he decided to get even darker and try his hand at a dystopian society in Australia. I prefer when Michôd shows the inherent corruption of of society by simply showing the conflict within one family in Animal Kingdom than explicitly spelling it out in The Rover. Whenever you have a dystopian society set in Australia, thoughts of Mad Max can’t be far behind. Now delete those images. There is a rigid realism in the deliberate pacing, a beautiful barrenness and a stark style to the dialogue that makes The Rover work if you have the patience to sit and watch it with no distractions. I love Guy Pearce. I can’t articulate why, but I can give a parallel. Some people have so much presence that by just appearing and saying nothing, that person can grab your attention-like Anya on So You Think You Can Dance. Michôd wisely capitalizes on it, and without him, The Rover wouldn’t work. Yes, Sparkles is in The Rover, and he isn’t the problem. The Rover’s plot points may anger some people. I am aware that there is a widespread prejudice that certain accents equal stupidity, and The Rover exploits that. It is lazy, and not necessarily crucial for the story to move forward or illustrate that immigrants are desperately arriving like the Gold Rush. Also many people are really inexplicably great at violence. I believe that after ten years of dystopian society, anyone will pick up some tricks, but seriously? With all these people willing to kill willy-nilly, how does this story last longer than the opening? Also the big reveal at the end will make sense retrospectively when you think about whom the main character kills, but then you’ll think, “Wouldn’t everyone notice it long before he got there?” The Rover’s plot points may move the story forward, but is a tad ridiculous if you contemplate them too long. It is unavoidable to do anything but think because The Rover encourages it with little dialogue and solemn delivery. The Rover isn’t a must see, but for fans of the Australian landscape and beautiful cinematography, give it a chance.