Despite the debate, Netflix’s polarising hit sci-fi thriller is still worth your time

Right, so The Last House has somehow managed to shoot straight to Netflix's number one spot within just two days, despite critics and punters both absolutely savaging it. We're talking a Rotten Tomatoes score of 27% from critics and only 28% from audiences, and that's out of more than 500 ratings already. Doesn't seem to make a dent, though—people are still pressing play, possibly just to see what all the fuss is about or maybe to argue over what they would do if it all kicked off outside their own windows.

The Last House was Netflix's top film within only two days of release, even as reviews tanked.

You've got Greta Lee and Wagner Moura as Ann and Jason Delgado, your quintessential parents thrust into a global crisis: everyone, everywhere is suddenly trapped inside their homes. It's not just a bad weekend—days turn into months, and months stretch to literal years. The premise is pure 'what if' science fiction, pushing viewers to imagine the very worst, and the plot throws in some weird, alien-like figures just to keep things extra unnerving. The mystery is proper gripping, even if you don't actually like the film itself.

Survival in a Box

Now, what's made this one stand out (apart from those 'so bad it's good' reviews) is the survival scenario at the heart of it. There's a whole lot more here than just hoping for a pizza delivery to get through a pandemic. After surviving on tinned beans and watching utilities go out, Ann, Jason and their kids end up rationing food, digging through the floorboards to access soil, trying to grow crops with bugger-all sunlight, and collecting rainwater with any bit of kit going—a thought experiment in how long you could last, and how much you'd absolutely lose your mind.

This survival angle wasn't just written up in isolation. Megan Hine, who knows her stuff from working with Bear Grylls, was actually brought in as a survival consultant during production. She made sure the dramatics weren't just nonsense—kept the actors focused on how a regular family might get on if things got truly bleak. That meant everything from sleep schedules, exercise without ever leaving the house, creative ways to get calories in, even how you'd try to make a fire if half your matches are damp. There's even a bit where they work out you can use the chimney to move things to and from outside—an actual game-changer, if you ask me.

Here's the way Megan Hine put it, talking to Netflix’s own press site:

Thinking outside of the box in a survival situation is absolutely key.

They're basically five years shut-in, and only ingenuity and sticking together lets them scrape by. Makes you think—do any of us honestly have what it takes? Most can't make toast without a YouTube tutorial.

The Ending—Still Debated

For a film that's already split opinion straight down the middle, The Last House does leave you chewing over the ending long after it's done. There's a bit more to it than just 'did they survive?' Without getting too existential, the big message seems less about outlasting the aliens and more about the human side—what it actually means to live together, forced or otherwise. Director Louis Leterrier reckons the aliens are trying to teach humanity to stop constantly trying to be top dog and maybe, for once, just cooperate. There's a visible shift amongst the family, with the daughter, Ruth (played by Riley Chung), actually cracking the code of the alien messages, which flips the whole story on its head. Moura, talking about his character, views Jason as finally realising that survival isn't always about brute force or ingenuity, but about seeing what's most important in life. Hardly subtle, but it lands harder than most films of this sort.

Right at the end, when the Delgados finally get outside, the radio crackles with a voice—and Leterrier claims it's someone 'very, very, very iconic', but he's keeping mum about exactly who. So, if you didn't like the film, at least there's a mystery left to squabble over in the comments.

One last weird bit: in LA, someone's gone the extra mile and actually trapped themselves inside a billboard promoting the film on Sunset Boulevard. Truly, the marketing team has lost the plot, but full marks for commitment.

• Cast: Greta Lee (Ann Delgado), Wagner Moura (Jason Delgado), Riley Chung (Ruth Delgado), with a few scene-stealing appearances from the family dog (honestly the most relatable character here)
• Director: Louis Leterrier
• Survival Consultant: Megan Hine
• Release: Streaming now on Netflix
• Rotten Tomatoes: Critics 27%, Audience 28% (500+ ratings and counting)