Drama, 91 Minutes, 2013
This movie is, plain-and-simple, a God-damn achievement. IMAX was invented in 1970 and spent all that time waiting for this movie. You can tear them all down now, all the IMAX theatres. Nothing will ever be so perfectly matched to the format again. It was also the first time that I didn’t feel ripped off by the $15 ticket price.
Loving care was taken in every aspect of production. The digital effects are some of the most tangible that I’ve ever seen (something I attribute mostly to the absurd level of attention paid to the lighting). The audio-effects, consisting mostly of the internal bumps and clicks that actual astronauts might hear, were masterfully interwoven with a supremely constrained musical score.
The movie ignores the all-too-common “epic syndrome” and clocks in at a relatively short 91 minutes. There is absolutely no fat to be cut. With the barest of introductions and absolutely no epilogue the story grabs your complete attention and holds it solid for the entire length. The script has weak points and leans on cliché in places, but only the most jaded will focus on them when there’s so much wonder to gape at.
This isn’t a documentary. Scientific accuracy is given more attention here than in any other movie I can remember, but it’s also purposefully ignored in places. Smart people can find many errors, both large and small. Wise people won’t let them ruin the experience.
I simply can’t remember the last time a movie impressed me so completely from start to finish. I sat riveted the entire time and left wanting more. I wanted to scream at people in the box-office buying tickets for other, clearly less worthy, films. See this movie. See it on the biggest screen you can find. See this movie!
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