Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi drama Interstellar is arguably one of his works that has received unfavorable reception over the years, rather than more praise than it deserves. It s grabbing the attention and the writers interest more so as it turns 10 years since release. At the same time, one of its many stars Oscar-winner Casey Affleck, is leading yet another reality-bending sci-fi feature that hits the masses this week. Slingshot is a much smaller scale effort but does have some big names in it especially Affleck along with the great Laurence Fishburne and Tomer Capone aka Frenchie from The Boys fame.
Unlike the previous normal projection where Slingshot was written, and directed by Michael Hurst, Lawrence portrayed simple looking with ease. In comparison to the rich portrayals that have been done by the veteran actor such as Morpheus in the “Matrix” and Bowery King in “John Wick,” Slingshot is like a walk in the park for a 63 year old. But he is very dependable and definitely adds a certain depth to his shady character here and with a completely committed Casey Affleck opposite him, Anchors Away are able to hold up Slingshot even though at times it is very derivative. Knowing that this psychological thriller directed by Mikael Håfström (Escape Plan, 1408) happens in space is also calming, so just indulge in the visual treats.
How about we engage another bunch of people on yet another mission to the moon? And if our own moon sounds so familiar that we ban it altogether, then what of another planet’s moon? How about Saturn? That’s the log line for Slingshot written by R. Scott Adams and Nathan Parker, where a three man crew is en route to Titan to mine for resources that will replenish a resource depleted Earth. The novel title is the reason why they don’t simply walk off: a ‘gravity assist’ is something they may one day have to employ a battered shuttle, and a space maneuver where, using the planet’s gravity field them changes the direction of the shuttle and reduces wear on its engines.
As the story unfolds in a rather linear manner, piece by piece, we finish understanding that an ambitious astronaut John Affleck plans to leave his lover Zoe the great Emily Beecham and take his place in the shuttle leave the captain Franks Fishburne being somewhat concerned about their commander Napier David Morrissey watching over it at home. The reason why this is one of the kickers is that the said mission shall extend over several years Something less than McConaughey’s Interstellar odyssey, but one might still assume that John would have to deal with a different reality when (or if) he comes back to the third planet from the sun.
As one can appreciate, the threat a shuttle poses in a shuttle is revealed at several levels of discomfort when things start becoming ominously psychological – as was the case with the Stephen King’s ‘1408’ and its director Håfström back in year 2007. Spinning in this circle are John and co-pilot Nash (very amusing Capone) who occasionally rest simple pumping some hibernation medications into their system as they are most likely out of the ordinary for long distance interstellar space travel.
Once they wake up, the Captain Franks whose gun has started to wander and who they all try to explain how stupid is this to them starts walking around with gun and does not listen to them anymore ~ and gives them ‘truths’ and ~updates which these can only frown at. It is not because Nash the occupants that go fuming with numerous Ph. D. genius ideas in his head likes the direction of the mission whatsoever for some hazed out reasons. Of course this is not the case as most movies that I have seen, the film incorporates numerous older films while building up the suspense towards its climax.
Space lunacy is not a novel concept, which has been represented in films such as Moon (2009) and Solaris or its remake. Those are evidently superior movies which Slingshot appears to draw inspiration from, although this will most likely be appealing to sci-fi fans as this tends to be the more pleasurable portion of the story that may keep them occupied until the next one comes. It’s rather a thematic amuse bouche till something more comes, but it’s a very good one because of Håfström’s structuring and visuals.
As nothing else, Affleck, Beecham and Capone manage to have some kind of heat and emotional upheaval as they are raised on fire with the threat of losing their jobs. And when it comes to authority there is no one more authoritative than a captain, preferably played by Fishburne and talking a gravitas while walking with a certain kind in a spaceship. The last shot of the movie will probably evoke violent reactions such as throwing your popcorn at the screen, depending on how one’s sensibilities are, or at the very least will generate some with your film buff friends. It can be said though that within the stylistic context of the movie it was rather too charming and at the same time restrained by genre conventions to keep one yearning for new discoveries.
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