Any sci-fi film that has a plot synopsis that looks to be more of a thinking-mans sci-fi with heavy themes on existence and the human condition has me instantly booking a ticket.
However, I felt there was little buzz surrounding this and its September release date had me somewhat worried as this felt like it was more of a summer release. Especially with Brad Pitt in the leading role.
It's also directed by James Gray, who despite beginning his career with crime films and a couple of romantic dramas gave us the massively under-rated biographical epic The Lost City Of Z.
So if everyone involved can bring their A-game to this project, this has the potential to be one of the years best.
For me, it ended up being a bit of a missed opportunity. I know James Gray usually has a slow-burning style, and it worked for the most part in this film. But for a film that's about 2hrs long, there were moments where it dragged. I think that came down to the content. While it did cover the themes I expected it to, the film felt like it was a lot more physical then it actually is. It never felt it either went into enough depth or was just not executed well as well as it has done by similar films.
I don't even think the performances were that exceptional. There was nothing wrong with them. But when Brad Pitt's character felt similar to Will Smith's character in After Earth, you know it's not going to work with audiences. If you've seen After Earth, you'll know what I mean.
Now onto the good stuff. It's shot beautifully, the colour palette worked very well with its environment, the visual effects just enhanced the imagery so well and the dreamy score fitted well with the tone.
So from a technical standpoint, it's high-quality. The story didn't quite work. You can feel there's a good story in there. But not everything quite fitted into place.
If you want the better version of this tory, then you might as well watch Event Horizon. It's almost identical, and it's execution felt fully utilised.
While there was enough positive aspects to give this a respectable rating, there are still a number of noticeable drawbacks.
I would still recommend it as I know it has found an audience that have rated it highly. Not quite with me on the whole. But I wouldn't say no to a second viewing in a few years time and I might find something the execution of the story and characters that I can get on board with.
Rating: 7/10
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