Not many films can afford to run on for 3 hours like this one; but it did. This sci-fi film had many themes and archetypes among characters. First, we have an approaching earth-as-we-know-it disaster; an isolated struggling family with motherless children and a father with singular piloting/hero skills. This is complemented with a "semi-secret" government program to launch a space probe to find a suitable interstellar location that could support human life. The program needs a pilot. Program director has a daughter/scientist(Anne Hathaway) who must work with the pilot as they rocket to a known galaxy that was discovered by earlier astronauts. That took an hour or so.
Then, we go aboard the starship and head out. Now we switch topics from disaster approaching to potential disaster aboard the spacecraft. Another hour gone by.
The next hour is consumed by the trials and tribulations of the crew, the ship, and the encounters with former explorers left on the remote planet. We know our pilot has to make it home to see his daughter, now over 100 years old and dying on the "new" earth.
Amidst all this action is the hard science that must be accurately delivered to the audience sitting in rapt awe(?). Many highly trained scientists consulted with producers to ensure that the hard questions and answers were correct. Really? Do we really want to know? Debatable.
Critics panned it, but it was entertaining to a degree. Better editing would have improved the overall enjoyment for viewers.
2 1/2 *'s
The cast included some notables: Michael Caine, John Lithgow, Matt McConaughy, Matt Damon, and Anne Hathaway.
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