I can't say this is a bad movie, but there are many glaring plot holes which are so obvious that they do take away from this otherwise good film.
The first big plot-hole is that there is a stowaway on the ship, and the explanation for his presence is never given - and quite frankly - it practically defies all explanation. The more you try and think through *how that is even possible* the less it makes sense. (Did he lose consciousness while working, somehow, and then someone else screwed a panel over him?!)
While that doesn't make sense, there is something deliberate there because this lack of knowing creates a definite tension for the bulk of the film. Is the stowaway there because he is seeking glory and thought he could cheat his way onto a space mission (and is therefore of questionable ethics and sanity)? Is he a psychopath who will start killing the others? Did we go through some sort of worm hole into a parallel universe? That element of this plot hole was, at least initially, not only excusable but possibly additive to the suspense and overall film.
Some incredible acting by Shamier Anderson there, because he is able to keep you guessing about whether or not he is a good person for most of the film, until his true (good) nature is revealed. And the scenes about him deliberating over whether or not to take his own life really hit home and felt real, I was in despair alongside him as I considered his options...
The second great plot hole of the film centers around the extremely improbable lack of engineering and procedural redundancies/safe-guards on this mission. What's really unfortunate about these, too, is that it wouldn't have taken much effort to work them out.
As others have mentioned, there is no way a modern spaceship would be engineered without multiple units for maintaining breathable air on even a transactional mission into space, let alone a 2 year mission to Mars and back. So why not come up with some reason explaining how they end up in that 'one-in-a-million' scenario where multiple systems fail all at once?
And then later on, you watch professional astronauts spacewalk without being tethered to anything, on a ship that is SPINNING to create artificial gravity; and when they are transporting the one item they risked their lives to get on that spacewalk, they didn't tether that item to anything either. A half-second image of clasp failing (or something) would have at least shown some effort, instead, we are forced to believe that none of these trained astronauts would have considered a tether.
If there was only one of these plot holes, It would have been noticed, but you would have been able to forgive it. All of these plot holes together, unfortunately, create too much distraction and ultimately do hurt the film.
Plot holes aside, this is a very poignant psychological thriller that challenges the viewer to consider the fragility of life, and the meaning of sacrifice. There are moments of tender intimacy, and at times, the situation becomes almost Kafka-esque. It brings you right to the brink of the void, and lets you experience what it would be like to spend your final moments sitting on the edge of infinity, beyond the rubicon.
The acting is subtle, but good. The visual effects are stunning. The soundtrack is great. This movie has many elements of a great Sci-Fi/Space film, but greatness slip away from it, like an untethered air-canister.
The first big plot-hole is that there is a stowaway on the ship, and the explanation for his presence is never given - and quite frankly - it practically defies all explanation. The more you try and think through *how that is even possible* the less it makes sense. (Did he lose consciousness while working, somehow, and then someone else screwed a panel over him?!)
While that doesn't make sense, there is something deliberate there because this lack of knowing creates a definite tension for the bulk of the film. Is the stowaway there because he is seeking glory and thought he could cheat his way onto a space mission (and is therefore of questionable ethics and sanity)? Is he a psychopath who will start killing the others? Did we go through some sort of worm hole into a parallel universe? That element of this plot hole was, at least initially, not only excusable but possibly additive to the suspense and overall film.
Some incredible acting by Shamier Anderson there, because he is able to keep you guessing about whether or not he is a good person for most of the film, until his true (good) nature is revealed. And the scenes about him deliberating over whether or not to take his own life really hit home and felt real, I was in despair alongside him as I considered his options...
The second great plot hole of the film centers around the extremely improbable lack of engineering and procedural redundancies/safe-guards on this mission. What's really unfortunate about these, too, is that it wouldn't have taken much effort to work them out.
As others have mentioned, there is no way a modern spaceship would be engineered without multiple units for maintaining breathable air on even a transactional mission into space, let alone a 2 year mission to Mars and back. So why not come up with some reason explaining how they end up in that 'one-in-a-million' scenario where multiple systems fail all at once?
And then later on, you watch professional astronauts spacewalk without being tethered to anything, on a ship that is SPINNING to create artificial gravity; and when they are transporting the one item they risked their lives to get on that spacewalk, they didn't tether that item to anything either. A half-second image of clasp failing (or something) would have at least shown some effort, instead, we are forced to believe that none of these trained astronauts would have considered a tether.
If there was only one of these plot holes, It would have been noticed, but you would have been able to forgive it. All of these plot holes together, unfortunately, create too much distraction and ultimately do hurt the film.
Plot holes aside, this is a very poignant psychological thriller that challenges the viewer to consider the fragility of life, and the meaning of sacrifice. There are moments of tender intimacy, and at times, the situation becomes almost Kafka-esque. It brings you right to the brink of the void, and lets you experience what it would be like to spend your final moments sitting on the edge of infinity, beyond the rubicon.
The acting is subtle, but good. The visual effects are stunning. The soundtrack is great. This movie has many elements of a great Sci-Fi/Space film, but greatness slip away from it, like an untethered air-canister.