The Last Push

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.

Visually, the special effects, the set itself, and overall film quality was pretty good on what I assume was probably quite a small budget.

In terms of physics I was far less convinced. The finale was wholly unconvincing and impossible, and it was amusing that the diagrams of the trajectory of slingshots were really passbys that would have added little momentum; and then the pointless burn; and that the sun seemed to be completely absent in any calculations or diagrams! Well, you can suspend disbelief, so it wasn't too much of a distraction.

However the writing about the state of mind of the astronaut wasn't very convincing at all, and neither were his decisions at the end of the film. Physically in terms of his body, his hair, his clothes there were no changes or deterioration over what we're to believe is three years. Psychologically there wasn't much in the way of change either. In short I didn't believe this man spent three years in a tiny tin can.

In the end I'd say this is a wholly worthy effort - it isn't dreadful or anything, and I didn't burst out laughing or shout at the screen. But in the end I was unconvinced, and insight into the human condition seems lacking. But I'll be interested to see what he does next.

ASTRONAUT: THE LAST PUSH is a semi-realistic science fiction drama about an astronaut who, after an accident, is left alone in space to make a three year journey back to Earth in real time. The viewer is given access to his mind and mental wellbeing through a series of voice overs and video logs as he receives messages from well-wishers and his superiors back on Earth...

Story isn't the strong point of this film, but it does get across the boredom of space travel because ASRONAUT: THE LAST PUSH is a very boring film. Very little happens in terms of plotting and some pretty CGI visuals of spaceships and the like aren't going to distract us from the obvious flaws and limitations of the budget.

The only thing this has going for it is the acting of Khary Payton, who plays the main astronaut. He underplays it for the most part and does a pretty good job as a man just bored of his whole existence. Things only get dramatic in the last stages, but it's a long, long journey until then and a couple of tacked-on scenes of Lance Henriksen sitting in front of a green screen don't really help.

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.