Comparisons with blade runner are certainly apt in the case of this film, not least by virtue of its brilliant visual language, excellent acting and subtle themes. An eerie sense of mystery is maintained throughout, which had me gripped until the end. In fact I felt this film was at least half an hour too short, basically ending as soon as the central theme of Kelvin's desire to resurrect his dead wife - excellently realised by the two actors - is fully played out. I was disappointed, however, that the film failed to explore in any depth the presence of the other "visitors" on the ship, which did not fit neatly in to the "life after death" theme. Of course we are told "there are no answers, only choices", but I would certainly have appreciated a deeper exploration of the choices made by the other characters. It's one of those films to leave a bittersweet taste in the mouth; for example the decision not to include Gordon's "visitor" at all I found a bit galling at first, but in retrospect may have been a brilliant device. I would have liked to have seen more about the moral dilemma facing these humans in the face of the "facsimiles".
Though the acting was brilliantly restrained, I did feel the script denied the humanity of the astronauts to some extent, and would have enjoyed just a touch more psychodrama. None of the characters appeared to take any interest in each other at all, and though this was certainly consistent with the powerful character of Gordon, and though Kelvin was understandably preoccupied, the incoherence of the third character was rendered somewhat pointless by the fact that the visiting psychologist made no attempt to do his job.
While I would like to point out that simply visually suggesting Philosophical themes is not quite the same as exploring them, this is still an excellent sci-fi film that fits firmly in to the tradition of Blade Runner and 2001 and the original Solaris.
Though the acting was brilliantly restrained, I did feel the script denied the humanity of the astronauts to some extent, and would have enjoyed just a touch more psychodrama. None of the characters appeared to take any interest in each other at all, and though this was certainly consistent with the powerful character of Gordon, and though Kelvin was understandably preoccupied, the incoherence of the third character was rendered somewhat pointless by the fact that the visiting psychologist made no attempt to do his job.
While I would like to point out that simply visually suggesting Philosophical themes is not quite the same as exploring them, this is still an excellent sci-fi film that fits firmly in to the tradition of Blade Runner and 2001 and the original Solaris.