Fantaspoa 2026 Review: Armageddon Road (2026) by Karen Lam

Director: Karen Lam

Year: 2026

Country: Canada

Alternate Titles: N/A

Genre: Supernatural

Plot:

Picking up a strange passenger, a cab driver starts to chauffeur a woman around who gradually begins to unnerve him with her behavior, eventually forcing him to realize that she’s become possessed by a Horseman of the Apocalypse looking to instill humanity’s Armageddon.

Review:

This was a slightly disappointing if still somewhat enjoyable genre effort. Among the better features here is the generally fun and unconventional storyline that provides this with the chance to be equally silly as well as pretty straightforward. The series of bizarre circumstances that unfold following his debt to the mob boss and the need to chauffeur his girlfriend around town, where her accidental drug overdose and eventual possession by apocalyptic forces signaling the end of days, puts him directly in the way of these supernatural forces that he’s completely overmatched by. It all becomes quite fun as this goes along, with the gradual discovery of the purpose behind everything where it all manages to bring about the romantic relationship as he tries to get her to open up about what’s going to happen as the duo need to dodge the other figures chasing after her to complete the mission, giving everything a wholly bizarre comedic energy that is quite endearing. With the zaniness of the situation matched nicely by the wholly immersive sense of dynamics within here, where everything is a deft indictment on the nature of fate and free will, this has some fun aspects.

There are some issues with this one that do show up, though. The main issue here is that the general sense of threatening activity present involving what the possession is supposed to accomplish. Focusing on the comedic awkwardness of the situation and the whole idea of this being about trying to prevent the apocalypse tends to give everything some stakes, but it never feels as though these ever escalate to the point of ever being truly as meaningful as they should, since we get more comedy and romantic relationship building between the two than anything. Even though there’s nothing wrong with the chemistry between them, and everything comes across rather well, there’s nothing that really highlights how the whole thing makes them desperate or urgent towards trying to stop this impending disaster for mankind, with the focus on this or trying to create artistically impressive trick shots to help tell this kind of story. That can be quite difficult to get into, especially for those expecting a more traditional form of storytelling here due to the kind of approach this has, but being the main issue here, it’s the main thing holding this one down.

Overview: **.5/5

An overall likable if somewhat flawed genre effort, there’s enough to like with this one that it’s not a complete waste, but it does come off more disappointing than anything. Those with an interest in the subject matter, who aren’t bothered by the issues on display or who are fans of the creative crew, will have the most to like here, while most others out there should heed caution.

This review ran as part of our coverage of the 2026 Fantaspoa Film Festival. It will also be available later this year after securing North American distribution.