Science Fantasy Blender

Rating: 6/10 (10 April 2018)

I would never say this is a bad movie. There is a ton of merit including solid production, good acting... interesting? Sure.
I haven't read the book, so I can't speak to the interpretation of the film makers - however, one aspect of this film really is a red flag. The monster. This is Gene Wolfe's Alzabo from his seminal 'Book of the New Sun'. Not just what the monster is, but also how it behaves, and the dialog about it's behavior. It's a strait up lift. Except Gene Wolfe's monster, scenario and outcome is better in every single way. The monster does provide one of the best scenes in the movie - a very graphic attack upon the main characters.
If one has read the Light trilogy by M John Harrison? There's the shimmer - except more defined, interesting and entertaining.
Blindsight by Peter Watts? This book is 2/3's a discussion on trying to investigate and understand something truly alien, either an entity, their realm and how this is interpreted by our limited minds and senses.
A lot of the ideas in Blindsight are also in Stanislaw Lem's Solaris & knowing Gene Wolfe through his work and research? He likely visualized his alzabo monster beginning with some mythological beast from classic literature. What I'm saying is everyone draws content from somewhere, but as an artist? Gotta make it your own, take ownership and avoid an obvious theft of material.
All three of these books are way more interesting and deep than this movie, which is common (almost to the point of being a rule). Not to mention the source material may well be completely different and better as well.
To drop my cynicism, if this movie is genuinely enjoyed? I strongly recommend reading some of the above science fiction/science fantasy.
But to get back to my film critique, the last kick to the groin would be the films 'Usual Suspect' ending that throws the entire movie into doubt. Clearly we, the viewers are supposed to believe the main character is in fact a duplicate, like her romantic interest - which could only be true if she lied during her debriefing. The movie is a visualization of her debriefing. So what really is the truth? I'm not a fan of this loose, foggy take on content.
I believe there are some questions regarding how gender is handled in this film, but I'm not going down that rabbit hole... well maybe a little ways. The end of the film hints at the event making a change. Clearly the destination in the film, the lighthouse, is a womb metaphor, from which a new version of humanity, one man, one woman, emerge. I do wish the film would have gotten more into how peoples thoughts were altered by the alien environment, and the importance of conscious thought in resolving the situation. This content is implied at best - absent at worst.
One could certainly argue that all the unanswered questions fit - that the event feeds into the mystery, feeds into the conclusion. I just think there is a better approach to convey these ideas. M John Harrison, Peter Watts might agree.
well made (mysterious) movie with copy and paste ideas, 6/10