Brevity

Rating: 8/10 (10 January 2014)

It's a modern ninety minute short film therefore it's probably a great film without even looking full stop. Most new films stretch out longer than their event horizon with cgi cartoonery too daft to laugh at and say less than this one's end credits. But however entertaining this might possibly be it's still as vacuous as the space that is the ... er real star - at least the ninety minutes didn't drag though.
Two astronauts (Buzz Clooney and Ripley Bullock, the entire cast) are tinkering around a space ship when debris from space collision causes space mayhem and serious space problems for them to get back to safety. There's some gripping and some risible moments always complemented with eye-boggling cgi; although this is a live action cartoon it looks real to me at all times ... is that partly because we all know Americans with their backs against the airlock are always as resourceful as this ... If I'd seen this with some Buddy Holly 3D specs in the cinema I might have come away seasick – so thank the Lord I didn't! Without the 3D gimmick it's a film easier to concentrate on and criticise for its empty headed plot. And why off Earth did I keep reminiscing about Fireball XL5? I'd watch this again when it's on the telly in the future as a slot filler as no big loss.
But it certainly was fantastic and space-breaking work by the legions of cartoonists and technicians: it looks great, appears heavy, ends up lightweight.