A new movie starring and directed by George Clooney is always something to look forward to. And in this case, the film delivers with fantastic sets and special effects. What it doesn’t have is a story which holds it all together. I
In half of this film, we see Clooney as a lonely scientist who seems to be left behind in the Arctic, alone in a post-apocalyptic world. When a young girl emerges from her hiding place, they are two souls against the world. And it is utterly amazing they do not freeze to death as they trudge across the tundra. There is a wolf attack, and finally another shelter, but then we cut away to a different film.
In that film a group of astronauts are trying to return to earth after a useful mission. Indeed, we have seen all these tricks before, from no gravity flying to the gentle teasing among a diverse team and in this case a relationship which has resulted in an unplanned pregnancy. But before they can get back to earth, the ship is damaged resulting in a spacewalk and ultimate disaster.
As we cut between the two stories, I felt like I was moving between two theaters that were side by side with only a very fuzzy memory connecting them.
Suddenly the ship contacts Clooney who advises the ship that there is no point in coming back to earth. Thus, the one surviving couple heads back to space. The end.
The film looks great, and the score from Alexandre Desplat is terrific.