8/10
I'll tell you right off the bat, I just don't like sci-fi at all. It's just one of those love it or hate it genres and it's just stupid to me. Futuristic little capsules that contain like...everything, and futuristic weaponry and futuristic clothing, and all that...just doesn't interest me. But, I have a lot of time on my hands so I gave it a try.
I walked into this film late, after 2 previews had been shown, the Saturday of its release to find the theater with no more than 30 people in it. I was pretty shocked that it wasn't crowded and began to worry that it was another mindless, confusing, over the top type of sci-fi thriller.
That said, the first 20 minutes of the film did give me that impression, and I was starting to become a bit uninterested. After the first 20 minutes or so, the film variates from average sci-fi type things like spacecrafts and other planets and weird looking living quarters to a more adventure story with a young cadet aspiring to save himself and his wounded father. This digression from a sci-fi driven film to dialog and emotion driven film with some cool action/adventure sequences came as a quite pleasant surprise to me.
The film became a study of the relationship between father and son, between man and mind, between mind and fear. This film had some legitimate depth to it, involving the idea of fear, and overcoming fear and overcoming your past transgressions and failures, as a father, or as a son. Overall, it was very surprising to me how much I enjoyed a "sci-fi" film, although much of it wasn't as full of sci-fi as other recent films of this same ilk. If you like sci-fi and a bit of character and emotional struggle, you'll love this film. If you don't like sci-fi at all, like me, maybe give it a chance and you'll uncover the hidden depth of the story and come to like it.
A solid, enjoyable film, not because of the genre, but because of the dramatic relationships and the pervading theme of: "Danger is real. Fear is a choice."
8/10
I'll tell you right off the bat, I just don't like sci-fi at all. It's just one of those love it or hate it genres and it's just stupid to me. Futuristic little capsules that contain like...everything, and futuristic weaponry and futuristic clothing, and all that...just doesn't interest me. But, I have a lot of time on my hands so I gave it a try.
I walked into this film late, after 2 previews had been shown, the Saturday of its release to find the theater with no more than 30 people in it. I was pretty shocked that it wasn't crowded and began to worry that it was another mindless, confusing, over the top type of sci-fi thriller.
That said, the first 20 minutes of the film did give me that impression, and I was starting to become a bit uninterested. After the first 20 minutes or so, the film variates from average sci-fi type things like spacecrafts and other planets and weird looking living quarters to a more adventure story with a young cadet aspiring to save himself and his wounded father. This digression from a sci-fi driven film to dialog and emotion driven film with some cool action/adventure sequences came as a quite pleasant surprise to me.
The film became a study of the relationship between father and son, between man and mind, between mind and fear. This film had some legitimate depth to it, involving the idea of fear, and overcoming fear and overcoming your past transgressions and failures, as a father, or as a son. Overall, it was very surprising to me how much I enjoyed a "sci-fi" film, although much of it wasn't as full of sci-fi as other recent films of this same ilk. If you like sci-fi and a bit of character and emotional struggle, you'll love this film. If you don't like sci-fi at all, like me, maybe give it a chance and you'll uncover the hidden depth of the story and come to like it.
A solid, enjoyable film, not because of the genre, but because of the dramatic relationships and the pervading theme of: "Danger is real. Fear is a choice."
8/10