Derivative, but Interesting

Rating: 7/10 (25 February 2018)

Those who have been pointing out parallels to Tarkovsky's Stalker definitely are correct, though after seeing the film, it seems almost intentional, given the pacing, the flashbacks, the description of characters as "damaged goods." While "homage" is often overused as an excuse for plagiarism, in this case it truly does seem the story was more inspired by the original, rather than simply lifting elements without thought.
And there are other familiar elements to be seen here and there. Everything from the "forest of glass" from tv's "Threshold", to the alzabo of Gene Wolfe's "New Sun" books to some things that seemed almost a multicolored callback to the Blair Witch, to part of the closing sequence which had me saying, in imitation of 2001, "it's full of cells!".
Despite this, the movie was actually quite interesting, and held my attention, despite a deliberately slow pace (reminiscent of 70s science fiction) and some pretty shaky science. (Which fortunately came and went quickly enough not to bog things down in technobabble of dubious worth.) The acting was a bit one note, and the dialog, as with such films, tended to drift around a bit, but overall, a good effort.
--- VERY small spoiler to follow --
One minor quibble. Or rather two. Near the end, there is a sequence where, though it starts off impressive, degenerates into a sequence involving what appears to be a stunt man wrapped in duct tape. Now, given the high technical level seen up to this point, duct tape man is, on his own, enough of a let down, but, worse still, the soundtrack decides to accompany a moment when he slowly squats with a low, flatulent synthesizer note, eliciting not a few chuckles from the audience.
But, the few missteps, and the derivative nature aside, it is not a bad film.