When Sam Walker (Kate Mara) returns to Earth following a space mission, the splash-down finds her pod and helmet compromised. In hospital, she’s reassured that she’ll make a full recovery from her relatively minor injuries but it will take time for her body and mind to adjust to being back on terra firma.
Whisked off to a fancy and very remote house, Sam is visited daily by a team from NASA and her family – estranged husband Mark (Gabriel Luna), adopted daughter Izzy (Scarlett Holmes), and adoptive father General William Harris (Laurence Fishbourne). But the bruises on Sam’s body spread and her hallucinations get stronger. Has Sam brought something back from space with her, and is she actually alone in the house?
At the heart of The Astronaut is a really interesting idea, and the film pulls things off quite well in the first two acts, only to rush its revelations somewhat in act three. On the plus side, it looks great (until some dodgy CGI towards the end), Mara and Fishbourne are both good, and it uses the isolation of its main character to tension-building advantage.
Unfortunately, other areas let it down. The script doesn’t reflect the cleverness of the central conceit, so there are too many decisions that don’t make sense. The initial set-up of the compromised pod doesn’t add up to anything, nothing that happens afterwards requiring that to have happened at all. Later, Sam’s husband and daughter leave the house, promising to return that night, concerned that Sam is both frightened and alone. So, why not just stay? No reason is given for them to leave, other than that Sam’s character needs to be alone for the next plot device to work. There’s a bit too much of this – why doesn’t Sam just ask people to stay with her if she feels so vulnerable and alone?
The score is a little intrusive, often pushing home somewhat forcefully how you’re supposed to be reacting, and Luna is wasted in a role that requires him to be either morose or worried.
Pacing is also an issue. The first two acts become a little repetitive and then all hell breaks loose in act three, where the film mixes elements of Alien, all strobe lights and bursts of steam (why?), with the home invasion of Close Encounters and the wonder of E.T. It’s a mix that doesn’t quite gel, some budget-reflecting effects hampering the finale.
Still, there’s enough here to make The Astronaut a decent enough watch and it promises much from first-time feature writer-director Jess Varley.
THE ASTRONAUT is out now on digital platforms.
