Interesting Czech film with very high production values – a sort of cross between 'Solaris' and '2001: A Space Odyssey' with a big dash of 'Things To Come' all made in black and white. It's interesting and surprisingly fairly accurate compared with what came before and after (it's ahead of it's time) While there are scientific inaccuracies - it's pretty authentic stuff – I liked the explanation of the time dilation effect on this journey to Alpha Centauri and the fact that their families back on Earth would age while they would not. The crew are beset by various problems on the way (mainly the effects of a hidden black star and consequent radiation). The set design in this film really stands out being quite futuristic (it's sort of 'Things To Come' meets 'Metropolis' in outer space). There's some odd unintentional distortion effects on the extreme ends of the widescreen film frame which is a shame (it could be related to the type of lens used or some kind of distortion caused by an anamorphic squeeze). The film is quite gripping but just as it is getting really interesting the film ends at the point they arrive at their destination. You don't even get to see a glimpse of the new world (unlike say in the film 'When Worlds Collide'). This film must have influenced the production design of 2001 a few years later. The exterior special effect sequences in this film are far less effective and are kept mercifully to a minimum. I thought the control panels and video screens shown were well ahead of their time. Pretty good stuff.
