Cargo (2009)

This movie looks absolutely amazing. So much so that in that regard, it can stand toe to toe with any blockbuster Hollywood movies. I really wasn't expecting a Swiss low budget movie to have such a great presentation. Yeah, a lot of the environments repeat themselves, but it's logical, given that they are in a confined space. The story unfortunately goes off the rails a lot. A lot of things just happen, out of the blue. Many ideas are thrown together and resolved in a predictable manner. It also feels pretty derivative of other movies, such as Alien or the Matrix. There are a lot little details that make no sense, and they just add up to ruin some of the enjoyment. The actors were fine, but no one really shined.This film is worth a watch, even if just for the really great visuals.

Cargo presents a very familiar premise: A dystopian future with a desolate Earth is the backdrop for a thriller set in the confines of a cargo ship.And while it starts off as what seems to be the usual Alien clone, it quickly evolves into a very complex mystery, with a far-reaching story arc. If I were to rate the first hour of the film it would be a solid 8/10 suspenseful hard sci-fi mystery/thriller.However, after the first hour problems begin to arise. The plot starts having cracks. Characters start doing irrational things with hardly any explanation, simply so that their actions can act as a vehicle for the next scene. The mystery reveals itself but the implications it presents are mishandled. The movie starts dropping speed and stretches itself without any real need to do so. (And I have to say this but I hate it when characters are told they have X minutes left to do something important, but they take their time to walk slowly from point A to point B as if they have no cares in the world).I think the creators could have done a far better job and it's a shame that they didn't because the film excels in most other sectors. Aside from the flaws I mentioned above, the characters are not explored much, but what we do see of them is consistent and believable. The art direction really nailed it, and with a better CGI budget they could have blown minds. And although the direction aboard the ship was discreet, it nevertheless impresses.I'll give more chances to the people who made this, they certainly deserve it. If you enjoy space sci-fi thrillers, with an emphasis on hard sci-fi, you will probably enjoy this.

If the acting wasn't so bland and some plot points would be left out, like the really forced romance, in favor of some implicit background story, then this could have been a great movie. The acting is at times over-dramatized which makes you laugh, at other times it lacks any emotion and feels like they are robots reading their lines.It kind of starts out like a horror movie, reminiscent of Alien, then progresses into a mystery scifi. The set is beautiful and gives you this cold space-ship feeling like Alien did. The CGI is not as good, but there is fortunately not much to see of it. The story is actually quite interesting, but the acting makes it fall flat. The whole world does not feel believable, because it lacks the details. There are no casual dialogs between the crew members that could tell something about their dreams or wishes or the world in general. What are their everyday problems? The atmosphere and the visuals, especially of the interior are quite good. If you have 1.5 hours to waste and are a science fiction fan, than you could give this a go, but otherwise you should probably skip it.

Well I just watched this, its been around for 3 years and I am a big Sci Fi fan so not sure how I missed this.Earth is uninhabitable on the whole so people are now living on giant space stations orbiting earth but these are overcrowded and disease and illness is rife. Everyone wants to go and live on Rhea a beautiful planet full of life but there is one problem, its expensive !!We follow a female doctor who takes a job on board a cargo ship to earn the money to join her sister on the Utopian planet Rhea. The film starts a bit like Sunshine but on a more simplistic cargo ship, the ship is functional but very run down and has technical issues like an old oil rig that can often be seen sailing our seas. As the film progresses it becomes a bit of a murder mystery and you start to think that this is just a standard affair but revelations take place and you are sucked into the entire premise. There is a lot of homage to many Sci Fi films here but this is very much its own film with a good storyline as well as great suspense and mystery as well as a moral outlook. I was expecting something a bit low budget but this looked fantastic on the whole, there were a few weak effects towards the end but inside the Cargo ship it looked very realistic and you felt the size of the ship. The acting was on the whole good but nothing ground breaking just simple story telling, the lead female Dr draws you in in a vulnerable sort of way but at the same time shows great strength and intelligence. There are other characters on board the ship and they are less fleshed out an the focus is mainly the Dr and the police officer on board the ship. This is not Sci Fi action as such although it does have certain action elements it is well paced and ever revealing so will peak your interest continuously as long as you are not expecting loud bangs and flashy action scenes. I found this to be a Sci Fi film of the highest standard and often I am disappointed by many Sci Fi films. I am not sure what budget it was made on but it sows that with a clear vision you don't have to spend a lot to make a great looking filmTo sum up we have elements of Alien, Sunshine, Matrix but this is not a copy of any of them.9/10 for me