The Discovery

'THE DISCOVERY': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A sci-fi romantic drama about a world where an afterlife has been scientifically proven, and how that knowledge drastically affects society. It was directed by Charlie McDowell, and it was written by McDowell and Justin Lade (the duo also teamed on 2014's 'THE ONE I LOVE'). The film stars Jason Segel, Rooney Mara, Robert Redford, Jesse Plemons, Riley Keough and Ron Canada. It's received mixed reviews from critics, and it was released by Netflix through their streaming site. I found the movie itself to be a little disappointing, due to the extremely promising premise and setup.

The story takes place two years after 'the discovery of an afterlife', by Thomas Harbor (Redford). The scientific proof of an afterlife has caused an extremely dramatic increase in suicides. Thomas's son, Will (Segel), blames his father for the high suicide rate. He travels to see him, at an isolated mansion, where Thomas is doing more research on his findings. Will meets a suicidal woman on his trip, named Isla (Mara), who he later prevents from killing herself. He then brings Isla to his father's mansion, and the two assist him in his research there. The whole time Will is extremely skeptical about the damage they're doing to society, with these new findings.

The movie is extremely dark and depressing, for almost it's entire running length. Like I said, the idea for the film is really intriguing, and fascinating, but it's definitely not fun watching it play out. The performances are decent, and the climax is somewhat interesting, and unpredictable, as well. I had hoped for a lot more from it though, when I started watching it.

There are a number of good things that can be said about Netflix's "The Discovery": It is good to see Netflix tackling big-budget, dramatic/sci-fi fare. It's encouraging that actors with the reputation such as Robert Redford has are now willing to work with the premiere streaming service. Plus, "The Discovery" actually has a germ of a really great idea at its core. Unfortunately, however, the film never really comes together like it should, essentially wasting that inventive idea with clunky acting and even worse pacing.

For a basic plot summary, "The Discovery" takes place in a future where noted scientist Thomas (Redford) has definitively proved the existence of an afterlife. The problem? Now people are committing suicide by the millions knowing that "something else" is beyond this mortal coil. The next logical step for Thomas, then? Discovering exactly what this afterlife consists of. This is where his son Will (Jason Segel) comes into the picture, visiting the scientist for the first time since a major falling-out to try and convince him to scrap the entire project. Along the way, younger son Toby (Jesse Plemons) chooses sides, while Will finds a mysterious woman (played by Rooney Mara) who has her own relationship with the "discovery".

Like I said, the concept behind this film is fascinating: What would happen if the afterlife were proved scientifically? Also, and I won't give away spoilers here, but even the research into what that afterlife consists of is fascinating in what it entails.

Unfortunately, though, the film is only a middling effort because of two glaring missteps that drag down the whole production:

1. The romance angle between Will & Isla. If you've seen the film "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", that one nails this dynamic much better. In "Discovery", however, there is just no reason to believe that these two will fall in love, much less how that angle comes to dominant much of the film's runtime.

2. Perhaps better acting would have saved that romance angle, but alas it wasn't to be found here. Mara is much too bland as Isla, while Segel is terribly miscast as the lead. More than blank, brooding stares were needed for the role, but that is all Segel seems to be able to provide here. Redford is his usually solid self, and Plemmons steals the show from time to time, but other than that none of the other acting performances are above average (with some being quite below that line).

So, while "The Discovery" is a film that I really want to like more than 5-stars out of 10, the end product just isn't worthy of anything more. Had the sci-fi aspect been the focus throughout, I think that would have improved things considerably. A better, less confusing ending would have helped as well. As it stands, though, "Discovery" comes off as a very second-rate "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" clone. Netflix may be taking strides in the right direction when it comes to original feature films, but there is still a ways to go to compete with the big studios.

Watching a movie made around Jason Segel (playing mopey and morose to boot) is like trying to start a fire under a wet blanket. There was an occasional spark, an idea or twist, that reinvigorated a hope for something more. An appealingly moody colour palate, cold blues and greys. Interesting premise/s. Rooney Mara was great, as usual, bringing charisma to an otherwise desolate and charmless experience that inevitably led me to write this. As mentioned by so many people before me: what a disappointing waste of a phenomenal idea. This could have been something riveting. Perhaps my reception was tainted by Jason Segel's lack of likability. Is it my fault? In any case, I don't care. I'll have completely forgotten about this movie before I finish this...

Don't know why this is getting some bad reviews. This was actually pretty darn good.

This movie has an interesting take on consciousness and death that is worth the time to watch. Perhaps people are not liking the existential weirdness and the questions it brings up but I enjoyed myself on this one.

I think we all need to ponder consciousness and reality a little more.

I wasn't sure about seeing this film because of the rating, but the concept was interesting and being a fan of Rooney Mara's work I decided to give it a shot. And I am glad I did.

The opening scene is very well done because it grabs your attention from the first second. But what comes after is what bothered most of the viewers who felt disappointed - the personal story line between Jason Siegel's and Rooney Mara's characters becoming the center of attention instead of the concept of an afterlife and how it works.

Personally, while watching the movie, I did feel a little bit deceived, because "the discovery" took a back seat, BUT after finishing the movie it all made sense. I think the film was very well structured and managed to get across it's idea and explanation of how afterlife works very well to the audience, without having to talk about it and explain it in every scene as if the viewers are little children. I do not agree with some statements that the concept of "the discovery" was not well done, finished or explained well. Last 10 min. do contain a lot of information and the viewer should pay attention.

The acting was very good, however overall I must agree that it is not the most exciting film. What I mean is that it won't be in your "most memorable or favorite"movie list. It's a good watch on lazy night though. Give it a go.