Acting: A-<\/p>\n
Story: A-<\/p>\n
Overall: A-<\/strong><\/p>\n
Title: Europa Report<\/p>\n
Directed By: Sebasti\u00e1n Cordero<\/p>\n
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Sharlto Copley, Embeth Davidtz, Daniel Wu, Christian Camargo, Karolina Wydra, Anamaria Marinca<\/B><\/p>\n
\u201cEuropa Report\u201d is a highly effective documentary-style piece that puts you in the heart of a deep space mission, letting you feel the thrill and then, ultimately, the utter terror.<\/p>\n
The film focuses on Europa Ventures\u2019 privately funded mission to the Jupiter moon. The company recruits a team of six astronauts and tasks them with documenting the existence of single-celled life beneath Europa\u2019s icy surface. All goes well during the lengthy deep space trek, but upon their arrival, a string of severe calamities puts the crew\u2019s discoveries and lives in jeopardy.<\/p>\n
\u201cEuropa Report\u201d is POV filmmaking at its best. The tale is told from the found footage perspective, with recordings from the mission intercut with post-mission reactions from the folks in charge back on Earth. Not only is the format successful in delivering a meaty, suspenseful narrative, but it\u2019s also one that keeps you guessing. While Cordero does deliver a very clear-cut presentation of the intricate details of the mission, he also doesn\u2019t spoon feed information and emotion leaving part of the experience up to you. The film naturally makes you wonder, what might you do in such a situation \u2013 would you risk your life for the discovery? And that question doesn\u2019t just apply at the onset of the mission. Later on, when things get dangerous, it hits you again, but within an entirely different context.<\/p>\n
But fortunately, you\u2019re not isolated and helpless on Europa and William (Daniel Wu), James (Sharlto Copley), Daniel (Christian Camargo), Katya (Karolina Wydra), and Rosa (Anamaria Marinca) are. Further enhancing the audience viewpoint and adding layers to the experience, each member of the group has a different specialty and is also at a different stage of their career and life, too. Copley\u2019s character makes a mark because he\u2019s got kids. James maintains a constant connection to his family, offering up yet another way to connect to the situation.<\/p>\n
Wydra\u2019s Katya is also a standout thanks to one of the most compelling and downright nerve-wracking scenes of the film. As the group\u2019s marine biologist, she\u2019s the one it falls upon to suit up and hit the surface of Europa to collect some samples. Without spoiling the moment, the scenario that follows is a shocking display made all the more consuming by an excellent performance and some very thoughtful camera and editing techniques.<\/p>\n
The visuals excel throughout. For anyone who\u2019s complained about nauseating handheld camera work, you\u2019re entirely in the clear with \u201cEuropa Report,\u201d and, better yet, there isn\u2019t a single unjustified camera angle in the film. The large majority of the action is captured from security camera-like perspectives, James documents a good deal of the trip from a handheld camcorder, and there are in-helmet cameras for when the astronauts venture out of the shuttle. Clearly that\u2019s a lot of vantage points, but the environment is so well constructed and then sustained, that there\u2019s never a risk of losing your bearings. Even when the group sends a probe out to investigate and the robot is swimming through the black of the Europa ocean beneath the moon\u2019s surface, just the right amount of exposition gives you a firm grasp on where you are and what\u2019s being done while still maintaining a sense of wonder and discovery. <\/p>\n
But, of course, the big jaw-dropper in \u201cEuropa Report\u201d is the grand finale. The film is an excellent piece of work, but it\u2019s the climax that makes it unforgettable. When you go as big as Cordero did, there\u2019s always the risk of falling flat on your face and essentially negating all previous successes, but that\u2019s certainly not the case here. Cordero and writer Philip Gelatt take their time building characters, stakes, and suspense so that when they throw something at you that requires an open mind, you\u2019re ready and willing to receive it.<\/p>\n
\u201cEuropa Report\u201d is easily one of the better sci-fi films of recent years, and on a limited budget at that. No need for an enormous bank account to bring a deep space adventure to the big screen when you\u2019ve got a smart, thoughtful, and detail-oriented filmmaker at the helm to ensure the result is thoroughly engrossing and earns an astronomical build.<\/p>\n
![\"Europa](\"http:\/\/www.shockya.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Europa_Report_Poster.jpg\" "\\"Europa_Report_Poster\\"")
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