Stunning visuals but not very realistic

Rating: 5/10 (14 October 2013)

I guess all the hype about this movie had raised my expectations, which is never a good thing. Nevertheless, I wanted to see the movie in IMAX 3D to get the full effects, which I did. First off, George Clooney sounded more like Danny Ocean than like a real astronaut. This is not to say that astronauts don't make jokes and tell stories but, under the circumstances of the movie, that folksiness was misplaced. But my main problem with this movie is that it was filled with disasters that would have killed the astronauts several times over, but somehow they are survivable in this movie. In truth, that makes it similar to many Hollywood films, like Mission Impossible, for example. But we expect that kind of unbelievability in movies like that whereas we were led to believe that this one was more realistic, and that's why I ultimately felt let down. Most of the situations faced in this movie simply were unbelievable. I also have to say that the ending came way too suddenly, as if the real ending had been cut off. Did the filmmakers not know how to end the movie? It sure seemed that way. Ultimately, I am glad I saw it but felt a little ripped off after having paid $16 for an IMAX ticket. I expected more.