Not much of a "climate change" statement

Rating: 6/10 (29 March 2015)

I watched this in large part hoping it would emphasize climate change and other human failings, but it did so in only a vague way, and stressed the point that Man is an "explorer" more than a "caretaker."
I found it odd that they put a scientist named Mann on a frozen planet and had him fake data, which seemed like a jab at a famous climatologist pilloried by right-wingers. Are film-makers so cynical and profit-driven that they have to appease every element of society?
I found the plot-line ponderous in many scenes, with temporary confusion about who was on what ship as they scouted out the planets. The guy who aged 23 years while they mucked around in the water wasn't explained very well. Did he go into hibernation? Otherwise, how did he not deplete their food supply?
Other notable flaws were: Driving through a corn field to chase a drone with no fear of damaging the truck, let alone even seeing the drone with corn that high, and using a laptop to boot. Then he lets his daughter land the drone on her first try as if it's just a toy he was chasing. Too many cutesy Hollywood tactics. The blocky metal robots seemed fragile and impractical for getting around a physical environment. I guess the metal was impervious to damage somehow. They also pegged the Earth's population at 6 billion but it's well over 7 now. Unclear when all the action was going down.
The redeeming part of the film was its clever time travel aspect. All in all, I wasn't overly impressed but it kept me entertained. The concept could have been executed a lot better with the same basic storyline.