I like science fiction movies in general and this one appealed to me simply by the title. Though only a few of the cast members names were recognizable by me (Embeth Davidtz, Sharlto Copley, Michael Nyqvist), I took a shot and I'm glad I did.
In the not too distant future, an international crew of astronauts undertake a long journey to explore Jupiter's enigmatic ice moon Europa in a quest to determine if there are life forms existing there. The beauty of this film is that it's shot entirely in documentary form, always veering between the interview-like scenes of mission control back on Earth to the crew going about their preparation aboard the space craft, using shipboard cameras (and later, helmet cams) to follow the drama. The storyline is subtly done but engrossing, building up suspense as the movie goes on while never relying on cheesy special effects (though there are a few, well done special effects of note to be seen throughout) so it never loses that documentary feel that makes it unique. There's solid character development that's necessary to bolster this story along but the reward is some really cool and other worldly alien vistas when the crew finally arrive at Europa for what they hope is their final payoff.
So, if you're looking for one of those (admittedly fun) big blockbusters where stuff gets the crap blown out of it every other minute and the drama is way over the top, this may not be your kind of flick. If you like a subtler, slow building intensity to your sci fi movies, see this one. It's one that will keep you thinking about it even after the movie's ended. Worth a watch.
In the not too distant future, an international crew of astronauts undertake a long journey to explore Jupiter's enigmatic ice moon Europa in a quest to determine if there are life forms existing there. The beauty of this film is that it's shot entirely in documentary form, always veering between the interview-like scenes of mission control back on Earth to the crew going about their preparation aboard the space craft, using shipboard cameras (and later, helmet cams) to follow the drama. The storyline is subtly done but engrossing, building up suspense as the movie goes on while never relying on cheesy special effects (though there are a few, well done special effects of note to be seen throughout) so it never loses that documentary feel that makes it unique. There's solid character development that's necessary to bolster this story along but the reward is some really cool and other worldly alien vistas when the crew finally arrive at Europa for what they hope is their final payoff.
So, if you're looking for one of those (admittedly fun) big blockbusters where stuff gets the crap blown out of it every other minute and the drama is way over the top, this may not be your kind of flick. If you like a subtler, slow building intensity to your sci fi movies, see this one. It's one that will keep you thinking about it even after the movie's ended. Worth a watch.