Sometimes a film making team checks all the boxes. The directing, the acting, the writing-I'm not sure what I would change about this movie, save a few plot conveniences that, in my opinion, are passable given the quality of this film overall. This is destined to be one of those films that every Sci-Fi connoisseur will watch eventually, as it takes all the elements of beloved science fiction films and does them well. That being said, there is a good deal of imitation, which some might not find flattering, in this epic of a film. But, and this is a big but, I felt like it executed them well, delivering on the material, the genre, the pacing and sometimes out performing other films which seemingly inspired it.
There are pieces of great science fiction here, like obvious remnants of Blade Runner, Star Wars, District 9, Dune, I Am Robot and even some less mainstream fare, like Gattaca, seemed to contribute to the inspiration. It's not a ground breaking movie, nor is it superior to all those movies across the board, so why a high star rating?
Because it's solid from start to finish. It has heart, scale, sets, environment, intrigue and essentially rounds out a squarely delivered, masterfully packaged chunk of beautiful screen fiction in every way. It lacks the wit of Blade Runner, the humor of I Am Robot and the swashbuckling adventure of Star Wars, but for those of us who love brooding, emotionally sensitive and expansive science fiction, this movie hits the high notes.
Washington plays a convincingly jaded ex-military man haunted by the loss of his love, and carries that character arc through to completion with some lovely imagery along the way, but it's Madeleine Yuna Voyles who really shines, giving some gripping scenes, especially for her age, and making a fantastic entry into the child sci-fi star slot.
My biggest complaint is the lack of clarity around the child's abilities. I found myself taken out of the moment toward the end as I tried to understand why the power could affect one thing and not another, and never felt it was properly explained.
However, I just enjoyed the movie, and think that if you're a science fiction fan, it will be easy for you to do the same. It's good. It's very good.
There are pieces of great science fiction here, like obvious remnants of Blade Runner, Star Wars, District 9, Dune, I Am Robot and even some less mainstream fare, like Gattaca, seemed to contribute to the inspiration. It's not a ground breaking movie, nor is it superior to all those movies across the board, so why a high star rating?
Because it's solid from start to finish. It has heart, scale, sets, environment, intrigue and essentially rounds out a squarely delivered, masterfully packaged chunk of beautiful screen fiction in every way. It lacks the wit of Blade Runner, the humor of I Am Robot and the swashbuckling adventure of Star Wars, but for those of us who love brooding, emotionally sensitive and expansive science fiction, this movie hits the high notes.
Washington plays a convincingly jaded ex-military man haunted by the loss of his love, and carries that character arc through to completion with some lovely imagery along the way, but it's Madeleine Yuna Voyles who really shines, giving some gripping scenes, especially for her age, and making a fantastic entry into the child sci-fi star slot.
My biggest complaint is the lack of clarity around the child's abilities. I found myself taken out of the moment toward the end as I tried to understand why the power could affect one thing and not another, and never felt it was properly explained.
However, I just enjoyed the movie, and think that if you're a science fiction fan, it will be easy for you to do the same. It's good. It's very good.