Introduction to Zac Efron Gold Hulu Movie Review
The mantra for Zac Efron Hulu movie comes down to one word. The word is not “gold” even though the driving force of the actions of the main characters in the movie is the dream of acquiring gold. The magic word for the Zac Efron movie, Gold is “trust.”
If you watch the Hulu movie Gold, starring Zac Efron, you will know why I use “trust” instead of “gold” as the magic word.
However, I am getting ahead of myself. You may be curious if I enjoyed watching the Zac Efron Gold Hulu movie. Even more importantly, should you watch it?
Check out my movie review of the Hulu film, Gold starring Zac Efron to find out.
Synopsis of Zac Efron Gold Hulu Movie
Zac Efron Gold Hulu film is a 2022 Australian movie starring Zac Efron as Virgil, a grungy, soiled-looking character being driven to a desert location.
Specifically, Zac Efron’s character signed up to have a driver transport him to what is called the Compound. His driver (Anthony Hayes as Keith) is using a run-down looking truck with an engine that overheats if the air conditioner is turned on. For the most part, they are driving across a wide expanse of hot desert in a dilapidated truck without air conditioner.
If you watch the Zac Efron Gold Hulu film, you may get Mad Max movie vibes.This may be because most of the situations happen in the desert; however, the location and desert environments of the two movies are where the similarities end.
In addition to reminding you of the movie Mad Max because of the desert, Zac Efron Gold Hulu movie could also remind you of Tom Hanks' movie Cast Away. The reason being is the majority of the movie, you will watch Zac Efron as a one man show trying to survive the debilitating elements of the desert until the driver returns with the excavator. This is similar to Tom Hanks' Cast Away movie, where he was stranded on the beach with no one else around to keep him company except for his inanimate friend Wilson, the basketball.
The gist of the movie are two travelers, one a driver (Keith) and one a passenger (Virgil) making their way in a run-down looking truck traveling across the desert to get Zac Efron's character to his destination, which is The Compound.
However, due to a stop to repair the engine because Zac Efron's character despitefully turned the air conditioner on while the driver napped, the truck broke down.
Zac Efron's character wandered away from the truck, saw something shiny in a pile of sandy rocks which turned out to be genuine gold.
A Matter of Trust in Zac Efron Gold Hulu Movie
The two men tried numerous ways to try to unearth the large chunk of gold which was stuck in the sand and was too heavy to be pulled out by the truck.
Anthony Hayes' character, Keith, the driver indicated that either he or Zac Efron’s character would have to stay to protect the gold from someone who may find the gold, or drive to a location that is about 5 days away to get an excavator truck which would be heavy duty enough to move the gold.
When Zac Efron’s character was asked to either stay with the gold or drive the truck 5 or more days to get an excavator, my first thought was he should, of course, stay with the gold. Reason being, Anthony Hayes' character is a stranger who may not be trustworthy enough to stay with the gold.
For all Zac Efron’s character knew, Anthony Hayes' character could be resourceful, find a way to retrieve the gold and steal it for himself – especially when this character was already accustomed to the harsh environment of the desert. So to avoid the risk of having the gold stolen, Zac Efron’s character decided to stay with the gold in the dangerous, harsh desert.
The Decision to Go or Stay With the Gold in Zac Efron Gold Hulu Movie
As I alluded to above, Zac Efron’s character made the decision to stay in the harsh environment with the gold while Anthony Hayes' character left to get the excavator. In the meantime, they had a crude looking phone they used to communicate, so Zac Efron’s character would know the progress made to get an excavator for the gold.
Zac Efron Physical Appearance in the Gold Hulu Movie
Personally, I thought Zac Efron’s appearance was very untidy when the movie started. He was wearing dirty clothing, had a muddy face with scars, and just looked like an unkempt character.
However, as the movie Zac Efron Gold Hulu storyline progressed, his appearance grew much worse. His changed appearance is probably understandable given he was trying to survive the desert with moderate water and rations, no permanent shelter from the desert elements, while at the same time fighting off wild dogs, scorpions and snakes.
In fact, due to the extreme heat of the desert and Zac Efron’s character being dehydrated and being exposed to the sun for long periods of time, his skin becomes scaly and patchy with flies and gnats flying around his face. I actually cringed when one of the flies landed on his dry parched lips. Gross.
Of course, the insects could have been put around ac Efron's face by Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI). Even if that was the case, his face and overall appearance was a site for sore eyes – to say the least.
Was Zac Efron Performance in Gold Hulu Movie Award Winning?
Another movie the Zac Efron Gold Hulu film may remind you of is Leonardo DiCaprio’s role in the movie Revenant where he was alone in the wilderness and had to fight for survival including his infamous hand to hand combat with a bear.
However, Leonardo DiCaprio won an Oscar for Best Actor due to his portrayal of surviving the wllderness.
By contrast, Zac Efron, will probably not win an award for his performance in the Gold Hulu movie even though he was covered in gruesome looking makeup to show that the conditions his character suffered was probably unsurvivable.
Top 3 Reasons Zac Efron Gold Hulu Movie will not Receive any Awards
–Zac Efron’s character gave up at least two opportunities to escape the desert and chose instead to stay to protect the gold.These events occurred one, when a lone truck traveled close to where he was camping in the hot desert sun and two, his meet-up with another person who was in the desert who appeared to be suspicious, but with the will to survive, I’m sure he could have made a deal with her to help him leave the desert.
–Zac Efron’s character blindly trusted a stranger to leave him in the desert, drive 5 or more days to get an excavator, and return for him – so they could split the gold. The trust was just not there between the two characters who were strangers.
–Even though Zac Efron’s face was sometimes caked in sand, scaly pimples, etc. his facial expressions did not show that he was really suffering in the desert.
Maybe he thought the gruesome make-up was enough. But when an actor is basically in a one-man movie, the film becomes a framework to shocwase his or her acting talent, including showings the emotions of anger, fright, deep excrutiating pain, or even to act overjoyed when you discover gold. Zac Efron for the most part walked through this film and did not show any outstanding acting skills.
Assessment of Zac Efron Gold Hulu Movie
Because of the poor quality of Zac Efron's acting skills in the Gold Hulu movie, my rating will be low.
That being said, his savings grace is having to endure wearing all the caked-on make-up to make it seem as if his skin is scorching in the desert heat, enduring flies and gnats and other insects swarming around his face, and last but not last, taking a starring role in the movie, knowing probably from reading the script what happens to your character in the end. Due to these actions from the star of the movie, Zac Efron the Hulu movie Gold will earn 1 additional rating star.
You may choose to watch Zac Efron Gold Hulu movie, if you are a fan of Mad Max, The Cast Away, or The Revenant -- which are similar-type movies. You may also decide to watch the movie, just as I did to see how Zac Efron's character survives alone in the dry, hot desert.
In my opinion, the main takeaways from the Zac Efron Gold Hulu movie are the lessons learned mantras as follow:
–Be careful who you trust
–If your gut tells you something, listen to and abide by it.
–Last but not least, gold is nice to have and own – but not if you are risking your life to do so.
Rating of Zac Efron Gold Hulu Movie
Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars with 5 stars being the highest, I rate the Zac Efron Gold Hulu movie 3 stars.
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