A Word to Those Who Like Movies about Spaceflight: See EUROPA REPORT First

[beamjockey]

Gravity is really good. But.

If you are the slightest bit inclined to see Europa Report, which has just come out on DVD this week in the U.S., try to see it before you watch Gravity. Like the newer film, it works hard to depict astronauts in a realistic fashion-- in certain ways, its astronauts behave more believably than Gravity's-- making very good use of its limited budget.

Europa Report is a decent hard-SF found-footage film that is considerably better than I'd expected. It deserves to be appreciated on its own merits.



If you watch the big-budget major-studio special-effects extravaganza first, your appreciation of the small-budget independent film may well be threatened. Already Gravity's box-office receipts have surpassed those of Europa Report by a factor of more than eight hundred.

ER is a noble attempt to make a hard-science-fiction "space suit film." If at all possible, it should be an appetizer to Gravity's feast. See it first.

Comments

[rono-60103.livejournal.com]

Added to the Netflix queue, and moved into position 3 (behind Much Ado About Nothing and the next disk of The Muppet Show).

The reason for position 3 not 2 is that Netflix reports a "long wait" before it arrives.

[daystreet.livejournal.com]

I heartily concur. It doesn't have the FLASH of bigger productions, but yeah. It's good.

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

I got to see Europa Report in an an "art house" theater, and was really impressed by its hard-science-fiction-ness. Very little in the way of bad science (I think I heard some real-time dialog with earth when they were several light-minutes away, but it was not central to the plot), and a lot in the way of sense of wonder.

[lauriemann.livejournal.com]

I don't think Europa Report ever played in Pittsburgh. If it is on Netflix, I'll check it out there.

[planettom.livejournal.com]

After the DVD came out October 8th and Netflix got it immediately, I've been waiting for Redbox to get this... and apparently it's coming soon, January 7th.

But in the meantime my library got it, so I watched it. Very good.

There's a few extras on the DVD --- short documentaries on the effects and music, a photo gallery, trailer.

I was hoping there would be a director's commentary, but no luck.

Seemingly the Blu-Ray doesn't have any more extras than the DVD.
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In related news: Hubble spots geysers on Europa!

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you found it satisfying.