Rating of
3/4
An Immersive Sci-Fi Experience
Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/29/13
If you are looking for a great film from a technical point of view, you will be hard pressed to find a better example than Europa Report. The film surrounds a group of astronauts sent to Jupiter's icy moon of Europa when evidence of life is found beneath the surface. From launching the mission to its heart-pounding conclusion, the portrayal of an actual space mission is spot on. You feel the isolation and danger of being on such a mission.
The film uses a variety of techniques - from cameras on the ship to hand-held cameras from the crew to depict life on a space station. The film does have lighter moments but the overall tone is one of both excitement at being part of a new discovery and the dread when the mission starts to encounter problems. Every tremor felt on the ship, every spacewalk and extra-planetary trip - it puts you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen. It is quite a stark depiction of space - but that is also the reality and I applaud the attention to detail the film gets right.
The international cast is made up of both fairly well-known: Sharlto Copley of District 9 and Elysium fame, Michael Nyqvist from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) and some I hadn't seen before such as Daniel Wu and Anamaria Marinca. The cast works well together - though it's hard to connect at times. There is some levity thrown in (especially from Copley) but for the most part things are kept quite cold and serious throughout the film. While much of the film is following the astronauts, we are also treated to an interview/live news style featuring scientists on Earth looking back on the mission (including Dan Fogler, usually known for comedy roles) which is also an interesting concept that works in terms of the movie.
The real treat is the visual effects - be it the ship, the surface of Europa or the eerie underwater effects of finding life outside our own planet. Aside from the excellent visuals, you also get a great companion soundtrack from Bear McCreary (who also did great work on Battlestar Galactica). The look and sound go hand-in-hand in creating an exceptional experience.
The film is an excellent portrayal of what I think would be a very real search for extraterrestrial life and presented in a lifelike way. Many compare this to 2001: A Space Odyssey in terms of presenting space exploration on a technical level. Although I won't say it has the same impact, Europa Report manages to be technically impressive while still providing a thrilling story - quite the feat to pull off and one that shouldn't be overlooked.
