Hard Science Survival transitions awkwardly to close out the story

Rating: 9/10 (13 October 2015)

The first third of the movie will please survival fans. The second third will please those looking to draw real world parallels to space exploration. The final third is rushed to finish the narrative and will please no one.
This film is realistic science fiction and details how the top echelons of human intellect would treat a crisis in real life. There is no villain, no one is incompetent and no one has insurmountable character flaws used to drive the conflict. Interestingly, this may run the opposite to at least half of Pixar's 22 rules on how to tell a story. This does mean, to the dismay of many, there is no exploration of mental health nor are there any emotional issues used as plot devices (not to say this film is devoid of emotion). Perhaps the addition of an at home family, similar to Apollo 13, would have sufficed, but it would have been unfaithful to the source material.
But the impenetrable psyche of Walberg's character is realistic; astronauts are screened heavily and must pass the most rigorous psychological tests. In 2013, only 6 were selected of 6000 applicants, and it may take 10 years before they make it into space. To apply to be an astronaut is already unfathomable. This film is far removed from the misfits of 1998's Armageddon or the stranded pedestrian of Cast Away.
Still, the final acts of the movie rush and skim over conflict to wrap up the already long running time. Political negotiations are omitted, likely to encourage co-operation and inspire a future generation. Depressing and challenging turmoil is skipped in the protagonist's penultimate trip, likely because the audience has long since been exhausted.
Despite all this, I recommend this film as one geek to another. If you want to see experts at their craft thrive, receive support from competent peers, and not suffer through conflict based on egos or emotion, this is the film for you. If this sounds terrible and unbelievable that there is no focus on the human psyche, then avoid. This is perhaps why many critics find the film hollow, yet others herald the rigorous science.