I really like this movie! It feels the same as director James Gray’s last "Lost City of Z", which is a bit underestimated-"Lost City of Z" is the most conrad "Heart of Darkness" I have seen besides "Apocalypse Now" Feel the video!
First of all, this film follows the conservative attitude of "Interstellar", "Gravity" and even "Annihilation" and other recent space/sci-fi themed films. The theme is also a return: return to the earth, return to the family, return to the heart. This is a reaction to the concepts of space exploration, heroism, and common human discourse from the 1960s to the 1990s. The director seems to want to express: When external exploration loses its goal and loneliness becomes the destiny of mankind, we can only return to our hearts and seek the simplest support and comfort. This theme is not too deep, and it is incomparable with the depth and breadth of films such as "2001" or even "Time and Space Contact".
However, the presentation of the theme in this film is excellent! The director combines space exploration and space thriller genre with a kind of artistic film temperament, combining grand narrative with personal narrative. On the one hand, there are various spectacles in the boundless space, placing the scale of the story in the universe; on the other hand, it is constantly interspersed with personal monologues, presenting the story of another inner dimension in the way of Tarkovsky’s "Flying to Space", and The story line of the external crisis forms a polyphonic narrative. In this way, the space opera-style big and empty story mode is eliminated (as mentioned in the previous paragraph, this film was originally a reaction to the traditional space theme), and a new kind of space texture is established-you will find, The description of space travel in this film is much richer and more detailed than that of films like "Star Trek", with a lot of details highlighting the realism of the future. Use the texture of being in it to replace the panoramic depiction of life in space in similar movies in the early years.
I don't agree with the director's theme in this film, and I feel that the theme is really not strong enough. But the film has a unique charm, full of great poetry and unspeakable emotional power. The whole film didn't feel boring at all! In terms of narrative, aesthetics, application of special effects, and creativity, I think this film is not inferior to "Interstellar" and "Gravity", except that it lacks a natural skill, a sense of balance-probably It is where James Gray is still inferior to Nolan and Caron.
If you have time, prepare to write a special topic to analyze the development and changes of space-themed movies in recent years. The topics are all thought out.
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