Movie in a nutshell
Ryland Grace wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory of who he is or how he got there. As his memory gradually returns, he realizes he is humanity’s last hope, sent on a desperate mission to save Earth from a mysterious extinction-level threat. With time running out, Grace must rely on his scientific ingenuity – and an unexpected ally – to complete the mission.
What I thought of it
I didn’t read this book/watch this movie for a long time because I really didn’t think it would match my love for The Martian, but I needn’t have worried; this movie was absolutely fantastic from beginning to the end, and now I can’t wait to read the book.
I have to give high praise to the pacing of the story; each part is explored just enough before moving on to the next. Also, the flashbacks are placed to advance the story and always answer at least one worldbuilding question.
The movie’s visuals are gorgeous. Detailed set designs, the CGI is on point in every scene. Not even the Eridian ship felt like a simple spectacle, even though it totally was. The same goes for the sound design. Upbeat and hopeful music with a sense of adventure and whimsy. The score supports the scenes, which is the perfect use for the character-driven movie.
I haven’t seen much of Ryan Gosling, apart from movies where he played a stoic no-emotion character (Drive, or Barbie), but in this role he played the part extremely well. In every scene, I felt like he displayed just the proper amount of Grace’s character.
Rocky is amazing. A proper alien with just enough differences to feel strange, but his “I don’t take no as an answer” attitude played well against Grace’s reasonable mind. He is also kept as Grace’s equal. His rockerisms are extremely charming.
The story itself is maybe a bit basic at the surface, but what elevates it above the average is the details. Rocky’s and Grace’s introduction is something we have seen countless times, but the pacing of the scenes and how much they want to learn about each other are two of the details I am talking about. And I personally love that they continue to add words and expressions to the vocabulary. Any other story would do it behind the scenes.
Now for some cons. There are only a few.
The biggest issue I had watching was when they were getting the surface sample from Adrian. Having their only pilot also be the one who has to climb the ship back and forth seemed like quite a stupid plan. But at the same time, the movie needed a tense scene to raise the stakes, but this specific solution is quite contrived.
The same goes for Grace going up to Tau Ceti, because the crew members got blown up. It is a cheap way of getting him where the story needs him to be. It works, but it’s cheap. But what makes the situation better is the decision to forcefully put him in a coma, instead of his bravely volunteering. He is scared, and there is no time left.
Lastly, it’s the death of all the crewmembers of both of them. Why did only Rocky and Grace survive on their respective ships? I am sure that is explained in the book, but it wasn’t clear at all to me from the movie. I also didn’t quite understand why Grace doesn’t remember stuff (was it because of the forced coma, the passage of time?), and also how he regains his memory bit by bit.
Special mentions to scenes I will remember for a long time.
First goes to Grace speaking about his dead crewmembers. He doesn’t remember them just yet, but manages to deliver a very empathetic eulogy to both of them. And the way he launches them outside with their pictures is very poetic.
Second goes to Rocky and his gifts. Each one of them is special and has meaning that you slowly discover throughout the movie.
The astrophage lighting up makes an absolutely stunning visual. Now that is just pure spectacle that belongs in a space movie. Bonus points for Grace for fully appreciating the beauty of something so destructive. Once again, very poetic.
Overall, just such a spectacular movie!
