Serious sci-fi, serious tedium

Rating: 7/10 (20 July 2009)

I came away disappointed from this movie. The reviews made it sound a great deal better than it was. Some of the comments about the movie are inexplicable. Good special effects? Some scenes look like they were stitched together from Thunderbird out-takes. The low production costs of the movie are apparent throughout.
But good movies don't need good special effects. The trouble is this movie has other failings - such as any sort of pace. It plods along. The middle section, in particular, feels like Purgatory.
I wanted to give this movie 6½ out of 10 but gave it 7 because, at its heart, it is a serious science fiction film with something, maybe not very much, to say about humanity and consciousness. Several interesting themes run through it, but most are confusingly presented and none are very well developed.
I agree that it's a good first movie and Duncan Jones has potential. It's a pity they don't give you a discount on the price of a ticket because of this.