Film Review – The Last House

August 10th, 2026 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

The Last House (2026) starts out with an interesting premise and then proceeds to do nothing interesting with it. A family of four – Jason (Wagner Moura), Ann (Greta Lee), and their kids Ruth (Riley Chung) and Graham (Noah Alexander Sosnowski) – mysteriously get trapped inside their Seattle home. The doors are locked, the garage will not open, and whenever they try to break through their windows, they somehow magically repair themselves. The family still have electricity and running water, but the internet and phone lines have dropped. This phenomenon seems to be tied to the heavy rain pouring from outside. It also appears that they are not the only people trapped in their homes. We see neighbors locked in as well – using written signs to communicate to each other. 

The allegories to the Covic pandemic are not so subtle, as director Louis Leterrier and screenwriter Matthew Robinson draw clear parallels to the lockdowns and quarantines that happened during that dark time. The scene where Ann details the daily chores and routines the kids must perform is a near word-for-word recreation of a viral video of a real mother doing the exact same thing with her family. The first half of The Last House works the best, as we watch Jason, Ann, and the kids adjust to their new way of life. Rationing resources, growing their own food, staying mentally and physically healthy, etc. Jason (coincidently) is an engineer and uses his smarts to develop nifty devices to trap small animals through the house’s narrow chimney. The narrative skips over some of the more unpleasant questions, like where the family will dispose of their waste or what happens when they run out of toilet paper. 

Along with the pandemic connections, the film also touches on family bonding in the age of the internet. Without a link to the outside world, Jason and Ann find other ways to keep themselves and the kids occupied (there is no indication of how long this situation will last). Family dance parties, movie nights with physical DVDs instead of streaming, arts and crafts, parent-led homework assignments – Jason and Ann do their best to keep Ruth and Graham as stimulated as possible. Some of the sweeter moments has the family coming up with unique ways of continuing traditions, such as using household items to create their own version of a Christmas tree. Of course, this can only last so long, and as Ruth and Graham grow into their teenage years (Emma Ho, Gabriel Barbosa), keeping everyone on the same page proves to be difficult. A sense of claustrophobia starts to creep in through the edges. Before they were trapped, Ann and Jason’s home had a lot of repairs and remodeling that needed to be done. Now, those small issues have become bigger problems, creating a sense that everything is about to topple onto them – metaphorically and literally.

The production design and art direction gives the family’s house a retro look. Unlike the sterile, modern homes we see today, Jason and Ann’s home feels like it was constructed and furnished in the ‘80s or ‘90s. Browns, plaids, and oranges fill the interiors. Their household is organized in such a way where they either don’t have enough space or they have too much stuff. Their dinner table is nestled in the corner of the room so when they eat it looks like they are seated at a small, hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The layout has a strange, awkward feel. The staircase to the second floor is located smack dab in the middle of the house and curves in a circular direction instead of going straight up. All these elements make the environment nostalgic yet crunched into itself, lending to a sense of being closed in. 

The main draw of The Last House is the presence of Wagner Moura and Greta Lee. Wagner is fresh off an Oscar nomination with The Secret Agent (2025), and Lee has stacked an impressive resume including (but not limited to) Russian Doll, Past Lives (2023), and Toy Story 5 (2026). The pedigree in acting talent is unquestionable. Unfortunately, the writing and direction does not match it. Ann and Jason operate in contrast to one another rather than as a united couple. They lack chemistry, whether it be romantically or psychologically. At first, the two seem like normal, well adjusted, and smart people. When the family initially gets stuck in their predicament, they tackle the challenge with confidence. But as time marches forward and resources dwindle, their dynamic becomes strained. They start acting irrationally, wavering between hopelessness and foolish determination. Of course, a lot of this is due to being put in such desperation, but Ann and Jason’s behavior become increasingly head scratching. Whatever plans they have turn hazy, putting themselves and the kids into further danger.

The survivalist elements, along with the ties to real world themes, makes the first half the most compelling. Unfortunately, the second half undercuts nearly all of it. The human story gets replaced by a supernatural one, as we slowly learn the reasons why the weather has been acting weird and why people have been trapped inside their homes. What began as a possible character study of this singular family turns into a monster-of-the-week program, where the family must fight against outside forces trying to get to them. This turn of events is accompanied by unconvincing CGI, which pulls us out of the story’s immersion. I don’t mind B-level monster movies, they can be fun and silly, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. But when it comes to The Last House, that is not the tone that was established. The narrative sets up a more thoughtful beginning, which makes the overall result a disappointment on two fronts. We don’t get the family drama we started out with, and we’re only given a portion of a monster flick – a double loss.

As someone who lives in the Pacific Northwest, I’ll give The Last House a pass for perpetuating the stereotype that it constantly rains in Seattle (it really doesn’t). However, the film lacks conviction. Instead of sticking with the idea of a family being trapped in their home and taking it to new and interesting places, it downshifts into something more conventional. By the time the end credits rolled, we are left feeling underwhelmed and unsatisfied.  

Emma Ho, Gabriel Barbosa, Greta Lee, Louis Leterrier, Matthew Robinson, Noah Alexander Sosnowski, Past Lives, Riley Chung, Russian Doll, The Last House, The Secret Agent, Toy Story 5, Wagner Moura