The Last Push

This was a very enjoyable space movie. For much of the film you only see Khary Payton's character Michael Forest, doing his day to day routine astronaut activities. What could be a boring concept is not and you are entertained by his performance making you care deeply about his character Michael. You'll be asking yourself how would I handle being all alone in space. I am sure I would not be able to do it. I have even more respect for astronauts after watching this movie. All in all I think Payton's performance anchors the film and allows it to build to a surprising ending. I recommend this film to all movie lovers out there. If you collect space movies, you will definitely want to add this one.

No. This film does not suck. It. Does. Not. Suck. Trust me. It's thoughtful, well acted, well written. And if you think it's boring, I implore you to never ever watch any Godard film, and to unfriend anyone who asks you to see one. Like "Alphaville".

That being said, no. This film isn't genius, or "2001", or even "Forbidden Planet". It's not a classic. It's introspective, yes, but it's not "deep" (I reserve that for something like Dostoevsky, which this isn't). But that's okay. Minor art is still art.

And I'm sorry, to all those who said that the ending is "illogical": You're wrong. Dead wrong. Given the main character's thoughts, it fits perfectly into what was foreshadowed in the plot.

Finally, ANY movie that includes T. S. Elliot in an important scene in an intelligent way is one that at least deserves a look.

Honestly, I don't understand why people who like the typical Hollywood film, or the typical Sundance film, or even the typical Cannes film (these days) bother watching movies like this and insisting on writing negative reviews. Obviously, movies such as this one won't appeal to their esthetic, or even their idea of what "narrative" means. And by doing so, they unfairly distort the perception of the film, discounting or ignoring its potential merits.

No megazillion budget. No zombies. No stupid romantic couples. No bathroom jokes. No unbelievable monsters, situations, technologies. No ultra stars. No social commentary.

No problem!

And still this is pretty darn good film.

OK, it is a retelling of Robinson Crusoe and deals with human loneliness and the price we as humans have to pay for exploration, but it was a well made film, with a good actor and a character one roots for and wishes a g and save trip home.

Probably it will appeal mostly to science fiction fans, but I would recommend it.

Here's another movie you've seen before - if you're old enough to remember every iteration of the Robinson Crusoe mythology, or went to a high school film class. From Mr. Robinson Crusoe to Cast Away, and Robinson Crusoe on Mars, as well as 2001 and Silent Running, this story has been told many times before.

The plot? In a nutshell, isolated astronaut goes nuts. On the plus side, Khary Payton does an acceptable job of on-camera work. On the other hand, his voice-overs could use work. In the end, it's an OK movie for a hangover, since it's intellectually and emotionally undemanding. On the other hand, you could turn the channel to a bass fishing show.

An American sci-fi adventure. A story about an astronaut who has to make a three-year journey home to Earth, cutting short the first manned mission to explore the moons of Jupiter. This is a low-budget film that aims to create the sense of isolation, boredom, and mental wellbeing of an astronaut on a deep space mission on a theme about solitude; it produces a modicum of intrigue. To a degree it succeeds, but it dwells too much on the boredom of the astronaut with too many blank frames and scenes that feel like overkill. In fact, the inaction draws attention to some inaccuracies and inconsistencies of the staging, like the space capsule design and the conditions of habitation. Khary Payton does a reasonably good job portraying a man near breaking point, but the other performances are not so inspiring; the astronauts did not seem to be the type of personalities for deep space endurance; the contrast between the two personalities was not done with much subtlety, and the ground staff didn't seem to match up to the professionalism we might expect of highly technical aeronautical flight direction staff. Although the story is thought-provoking, it leaves some unanswered questions, and it ends with a weak excuse for a plot twist. But there is a spectacular scene showing Venus's atmosphere, and the sound effects and music add a lot to the story's mood and tone.