Europa Report: Watch it for the Science

Found Footage Space Horror is basically my new favorite thing. Budget cuts have made space travel for NASA in the next decade an implausibility, so instead we're just going to pretend the reason we don't go out there anymore is weird monsters. I like that.Europa Report does a valiant job of bringing just enough science and bet-hedging to a small indie film to keep expectations low, realism high, and all of the scary stuff at bay. This is hard sci-fi for an intelligent audience and that's why it's not all that great.

The first English language feature from director Sebastian Cordero, Europa Report follows a manned expedition to one of Jupiter's moons, where they believe the possibility for extraterrestrial life exists. When communications are cut with Earth, the team elects to continue the mission, despite the loss of the biggest name actor (Sharlto Copley of District 9). Much like that film, chunks ofEuropa are shown out of sequence, and inter-cut with PBS documentary style interviews with both the crew and the team on Earth, discussing the disaster after-the-fact. Europa Report's attention to detail and plausibility is not only admirable, but perhaps the most interesting element of the film.

Visually, some of the sequences are quite simply impressive, while the acting is similarly consistent across a cast of semi-recognizable faces, including Dexter's older brother. The non-linearity allows for a strong start before going back to explain the origins of the mission, the claustrophobia spreads quickly, and the minimal score by Bear McCreary is spot-on. Unfortunately, this is a sci-fi film stuck within the genre trappings of a horror film, and that's going to leave viewers disappointed. While there are moments of surprise, action, and loss, the whole endeavor is still much more Arthur C. Clarke than Event Horizon, despite intentions that shot somewhere in between. Even a controlled demolition should have some fireworks, whereas Europa seems content to show us the rubble and hope you can work backwards.

This genre straddling seems possible until we arrive at an ending so firmly rooted in the scientific that it discounts all the events leading to this conclusion by asking us to celebrate what the characters have achieved in the name of science, no matter their personal cost. Honestly, I love this ending. It made me think of all the other times I'd considered the implications of a film, albeit discounting the people and plot elements we were supposed to give a shit about. Imagine watching A Beautiful Mind or Good Will Hunting for the sake of seeing the math get solved and you'll understand what I mean. It's a smart, controlled approach, but one that feels like betrayal when sold on a trailer full of screams and loud noises.

In summary, Europa Report is probably a better science fiction movie than we deserve, but the genre trappings make it hard to take seriously. It's an impressive effort and, with your expectations adjusted accordingly, you'll have any easier time appreciating its true strengths.