joel calfee

Truly a great film. The visual, the storyline, the acting and the directing. Truly a great movie. First off, big sci-fi fan as it is… but within the first 5 min, I knew this was a movie that my wife (not so much sci-fi fan) would enjoy watching along with me. And I was right. Although she felt it was long, we both agreed, that even through the final moments of the movie, there is sense of uncertainty that ride shotgun in this wonderfully written and visually stunning vehicle. Love, empathy, loss, caring, fatherhood, marriage, relationships, selflessness, selfishness, morality, ethics…. And I’m sure I’m missing something as it’s a bit late when I’m writing this… is touched upon either slightly or deeply. You’d have to be pretty numb in general if you watch this movie and you’re not asking yourself some poignant questions. At some point during the movie I thought… who ever wrote this movie had to be the one directing it, just from the utter care taken to deliver a piece that truly is transportive. Being that’s the case, it justifies the lengths the director takes to convey the nuances. Did I mention that it’s also sci-fi? And that’s the other portion of this film I loved. Rife with futurism that is plausible without being far fetched and in your face… yet promising and ethically questionable. Again you will likely ask yourself many of the same questions I asked myself while watching this movie. Finally, as a father and husband… I cried. Not once, not a little… but many times and deeply as well. The hardest part was trying to hold it back during many scenes from becoming a sobbing mess. I certainly hope my review does not over sell. I feel this is the type of review you read AFTER you’ve watched the movie to see if you agree with my conclusion versus being the type of review that tries to persuade you to spend the limited time we have watching this movie rather than another in this on-demand binge watching era of abundant choice. Hope you enjoy it!