Europa Report is precisely what I had hoped it would be: a nifty look at space frontiersmanship, chock full of tense atmosphere, wonderful space and extraterrestrial surface shots, well-consulted (but for a few errors; come on guys, its barely more than 1/10 of a G on Europas surface, far from Earth-like gravity), etc. If it wasnt confined to a found-footage style, it might have even been an extraordinary film. As it stands its too grounded; ironic for a movie that takes place on a moon of Jupiter. It has no Clarke/Kubrickian sense of scope and awe and fantasy, which is what I wanted most of all (and that would have made this a great movie instead of just a good one). The creature design was nifty, but the reveal felt flat and unimportant. Oh hey. Alien life. ... woo? Are we supposed to be surprised at this point? But what serves it best is its cast. It isnt chock full of ACTORS. I felt drawn in and emotionally satisfied when I saw the oceanographer crew-member swell with various emotions; pride in her accomplishment, fear of the unknown, thoughtfulness, resentment that the virginity of the Europan sub-terrestrial lakes remind her of... what?... the ruined state of Earths oceans from mankinds faithless abandonment of their role as steward of the environment? Probably. All of this from one single shot, one single facial expression. I would never have such a reaction from, say, Sandra Bullock in the same role. Because all I see is ACTRESS, not real person responding to a marvelous new human achievement.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 03:14:20 +0000
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