A Celebration Of Oscar Minor Categories Film-Making

Rating: 6/10 (19 January 2019)

Which shows just how much mileage you can get from top-of-the-line production design and special visual effects, particularly when combined with inventive camera angles and lighting. To be fair, in a film which relies so much on 'make-the-audience-jump-out-of-their-seats' shocks, quality acting probably wouldn't have made a huge amount of difference, but it might have made those 'internal conflicts' of the group dynamic so much more credible. Too often, those conflicts smacked too much of 'Primer' calibre 'pulled punches', which fizzle out before they've built up a sufficient head of steam, at least until the next unconvincing argument rolls around. It didn't help, also, that the group's character profile smacked too much of quota-filling and genre stereotypes.
Story-wise, we've probably seen it all before, probably dating back 60 years and more: a spaceship crash-lands on an uncharted, unforgiving planet, and its motley crew - including one dangerous criminal - recognising that compromises need to be made, and unlikely alliances formed, if they are to make it off the planet alive.
Story-wise, too, you can probably fill in the blanks although, to be fair, you can probably do likewise with the best of that sub-genre.
Except that from early on, I frequently found myself comparing it unfavourably with far superior films, made by longer-established, if not also superior filmmakers: like the 1950s 'creature-feature' 'Them!' which, perhaps benefitted from being more homebound, and its creatures being a product of radioactivity, and from the presence of a lead actor of considerable and plausible gravitas; and 'The Thing', whose director, John Carpenter had acquired a certain facility in the short sharp shocks department; he was particularly well-served, though, in that film, by an ensemble of actors who knew their place and their roles, and rose to the occasion, no matter that the subject matter might have been just a little hard to swallow for them.
Although, though to be fair, that's august company who would put most genre directors in the shade.
A feast for the eyes, rather than the brain: file under 'honourable failures'