Thrilling, exhausting, thrilling, exhausting, puzzling, exhausting; that's about it.

Rating: 8/10 (27 July 2011)

With the name recognition of Jake Gyllenhaal and a few snazzy trailers thrown in, it was a sure thing I was going to watch this movie. I also like Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga I've already drooled over publicly in previous reviews so my bias here won't come as a shock. To the movie; I found it thrilling, exhausting, thrilling, exhausting, puzzling and exhausting, that's about it in a nutshell. Why? Because it's a science fiction thriller? Sure, that must be it, let's go with that; simplistic as it may sound the truth is usually that simple, we just like to read and hear more complicated explanations and if you're a CNN fan you want to hear the two-sided explanation over and over until you forget the logic and are satisfied with just remembering the spin. My 'anti-spin' is the following:
The IMDb full storyline pretty much outlines what goes on without of course the 'finale' which I will be just as much a bastard not to divulge. Now, the flic is more fiction than science as all sci-fi's are naturally. If you listen carefully to the explanation Dr. Rutledge, played by Jeffrey Wright, gives to Gyllenhaal who wants to know what is happening to him , you may, as I did, pretend to understand immediately Dr. Rutledge's meaningful illustration of the process Gyllenhaal is going through, whence much further reflexion was required to come up with the conclusion perhaps it may come true in the future when the human race has colonized another planet outside our galaxy, so to enjoy the movie you might as well just go with the flow.
I bit of romance for good measure! Gyllenhaal progressively falls for Monaghan, it would have been a commercial mistake not to go with this sub plot given how well it worked. No romantic tribulation for officer Goddwin played by Vera Farmiga; well none outside my own head.
As for the thriller aspect of the movie, that, I'm not afraid to state, is a successfully accomplished piece of work. The actors are very good at delivering their parts, something I always felt required a dose of talent to accomplish in sci-fi's and horror films. As with the movies "Vantage Point", "Groundhog Day", "Run Lola Run", "Memento", "Butterfly Effect" and "Primer", one can't help but praise the patience of the actors, crew and the ballsy supervisory skills of the director as well as the talent of the editors. I liked it but I won't feel the need to see it again. If you usually avoid sci-fi's, you may not appreciate my recommending this movie, so you make your own decision. In my opinion, Gyllenhaal tends make Hollywood movies more palatable for those who are tired of them.