While it's a nice Hard Science Fiction film for the masses, many of the foundational premises made absolutely no sense. Why would the human elite go all the way out to the Kepler system, almost 2000 light years away (a system that also doesn't have any habitable planets in the Goldilocks' Zone), when Mars is right next door and could just as easily maintain a closed-system colonization? That's like driving from New York to California because there was a chemical spill in your hometown and you needed to evacuate. Furthermore, if they have the technology to travel 2000 light years in 10 real-years, why are they still using Apollo-styled reentry capsules instead of something with a controllable reentry ability like a shuttlecraft? Then after only 40 short years (2 generations according to the opening scenes), you decide to try to return to Earth instead of finding a better environment closer to where you are now? I know, most people don't know the location of the Kepler system and its planetary make-up but still, with Google, all things can be learned within mere seconds. Once upon a time, serious Science Fiction authors wrote smart because they knew their audience was also smart. Today, not so much.
After all that, then you start running into the standard fare of post-apocalyptic issues. It's been at least 60 years since the fall of man. The planet is given the appearance of constant marshland that floods every 12 hours with the tides. Where are they getting the diesel to run their boats? Where are they getting the replacement machined parts for the engines? When nobody has seen a tree in years, where are they getting the wood for their arrows, the cloth for their clothes and food for their tables when no coordinated farming can be done and only the seas provide nourishment. You see why Hollywood prefers to stick with Space Opera instead of actual Science Fiction?
Anyway, if you can stop yourself from asking questions and just watch the movie, it's pretty much a mediocre tale. Most of the film is purposely hard to see, to probably save on the budget, often shrouded in fog, mist or darkness. The only actor in the cast that I recognized was Sebastian Roché. Finally the dialog and character interaction was minimal at best. While this may seem so negative, trust me, I've seen worse. It gets a "Meh" rating. Watch it if you have no better options.
Review by Ragnar DanneskjöldBlockedParent2022-07-10T23:35:20Z
While it's a nice Hard Science Fiction film for the masses, many of the foundational premises made absolutely no sense. Why would the human elite go all the way out to the Kepler system, almost 2000 light years away (a system that also doesn't have any habitable planets in the Goldilocks' Zone), when Mars is right next door and could just as easily maintain a closed-system colonization? That's like driving from New York to California because there was a chemical spill in your hometown and you needed to evacuate. Furthermore, if they have the technology to travel 2000 light years in 10 real-years, why are they still using Apollo-styled reentry capsules instead of something with a controllable reentry ability like a shuttlecraft? Then after only 40 short years (2 generations according to the opening scenes), you decide to try to return to Earth instead of finding a better environment closer to where you are now? I know, most people don't know the location of the Kepler system and its planetary make-up but still, with Google, all things can be learned within mere seconds. Once upon a time, serious Science Fiction authors wrote smart because they knew their audience was also smart. Today, not so much.
After all that, then you start running into the standard fare of post-apocalyptic issues. It's been at least 60 years since the fall of man. The planet is given the appearance of constant marshland that floods every 12 hours with the tides. Where are they getting the diesel to run their boats? Where are they getting the replacement machined parts for the engines? When nobody has seen a tree in years, where are they getting the wood for their arrows, the cloth for their clothes and food for their tables when no coordinated farming can be done and only the seas provide nourishment. You see why Hollywood prefers to stick with Space Opera instead of actual Science Fiction?
Anyway, if you can stop yourself from asking questions and just watch the movie, it's pretty much a mediocre tale. Most of the film is purposely hard to see, to probably save on the budget, often shrouded in fog, mist or darkness. The only actor in the cast that I recognized was Sebastian Roché. Finally the dialog and character interaction was minimal at best. While this may seem so negative, trust me, I've seen worse. It gets a "Meh" rating. Watch it if you have no better options.