The Beyond (2018)

I have to say that when the ending came, I was very pleasantly surprised! If you like all things NASA related, and a more slower, intellectual movie, I think you would like this movie. Like a lot of people here said, it was moving pretty slowly, if you are expecting a Marvel or Cloverdale type movie, forget it. But if you enjoyed movies like The Man from Earth, this is the movie for you. I say to the entire team, Very Well Done!!

Gillian LaRoux is a leading manager in the international Space Agency based in London. One day, an anomaly in space appeared over the sky and they name it The Void. Assuming it to be a wormhole, the agency is preparing a secret mission to explore the phenomenon. They use an experimental cyborg project where human brains are implanted into a cybernetic body called Human 2.0.This is Arrival without Denis Villeneuve or 2001 without Kubrick. I don't know anything about writer/director Hasraf Dulull. He seems to have a few interesting ideas and some special effect skills although he has no skills in story telling. This is a movie layout by expositions more than a plot and any character development. First, Dulull introduces Gillian but she goes into the background. Every character does the same thing. Nobody has a personal story. Nobody sticks. It's just as well since these are day players. None of them has great charisma. The narrative is mechanical only to lay out the plot such as there is one. While I like the ideas and final reveal, this needs a story and fleshed out characters.

I was drawn in to the mystery and curiosity the film develops. It does it quite well with it's documentary style interviews. Some actors are better than others here, but nothing upsets the immersion and interest. The Beyond reveals the truth of events in a decent enough surprise. But then it adds another event which feels rather weak and tacked on. The whole film feels very dreamy and superficial at times, but hangs in there thanks to the documentary style which adds some reality aspects. It's not a bad film by all means, but it's build up peaks at delivering something with impact, depth and substance. Instead it goes on rather weak ideals and a suggested helping hand which could lead some viewers to feel rather disappointed.

Most scifi movies are just cowboys shooting it out with the bad guys in space - tired stories told over and over which could fit into any setting and time. This movie is a type of which sadly so few examples exist. This story could only have taken place in space, and a little bit into the future, with complex and advanced science. I ended up moved to tears by the beauty of the hope presented. If you are a lover of hard scifi, don't miss this one. Outstanding!