X
In Theaters Now
- 2024
- R
- Bleecker Street Media
- 1 h 49 m
- 2024
- R
- Bleecker Street Media
- 1 h 49 m
Summary Slingshot follows an elite trio of astronauts aboard a years-long, possibly compromised mission to Saturn’s moon Titan. As the team gears up for a highly dangerous slingshot maneuver that will either catapult them to Titan or into deep space, it becomes increasingly difficult for one astronaut to maintain his grip on reality.
Directed By: Mikael Håfström
Written By: R. Scott Adams, Nathan Parker
In Theaters Now
- 2024
- R
- Bleecker Street Media
- 1 h 49 m
- 2024
- R
- Bleecker Street Media
- 1 h 49 m
Slingshot
52
4.6
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Summary Slingshot follows an elite trio of astronauts aboard a years-long, possibly compromised mission to Saturn’s moon Titan. As the team gears up for a highly dangerous slingshot maneuver that will either catapult them to Titan or into deep space, it becomes increasingly difficult for one astronaut to maintain his grip on reality.
Directed By: Mikael Håfström
Written By: R. Scott Adams, Nathan Parker
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
52
33% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
53% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
13% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
52
33% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
53% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
13% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
It labours for an hour to find its own thematic core, but as the psychological pieces accumulate, the film starts to exert an inexorable pull in its exploration of cognitive dissonance and mental illness.
The Swedish director Mikael Håfström, whose best-known American film is the chilling 2007 Stephen King adaptation “1408,” employs jump scares and quick cuts to capture the looming sense of danger (or is it paranoia?) aboard the ship, while the screenplay by R. Scott Adams and Nathan Parker takes the story back and forth between the present-day unraveling on Odyssey-1 and flashbacks on Earth.
It delivers a beautiful and promising dressing before unveiling a largely by-the-book story. It is not bad by any means, but it doesn't push the envelope or explore anything new, either. Slingshot is a pleasant watch, but it doesn't ever rise above that.
A problem with this movie, as is too-often the case with productions set within the confines of a space craft/capsule, is that the filmmakers don’t trust the inherent dangers and claustrophobia of the situation to be sufficiently suspenseful.
Slingshot is more of a murky mystery where the big revelations don't hold up under scrutiny.
The paranoia sets in all too quickly in this awkwardly paced thriller, and it’s among a handful of defects in a film whose creative process seemed to begin and end with its final twist in mind, haphazardly and unconvincingly working backward to construct what’s necessary to build up to i
Consistently boring in a manner that almost feels defiant, “Slingshot” plays as a shallow COVID lockdown allegory for most of its runtime, before insultingly spiraling off the rails. It feels like a movie that hates its characters. And hates you too.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 9 User Ratings
4.6
33% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
33% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
33% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 9 User Ratings
4.6
33% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
33% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
33% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Sci-fi releases that attempt to do something more than the minimum of what’s typically expected of them are to be admired for their ambition and creativity. That’s especially true when they seek to fuse their subjects and storylines with material drawn from other genres. However, to achieve success at that, the filmmakers behind these projects need to be very precise and diligent in coming up with a mix that works, and, sadly, that’s where this offering fails – not by much, mind you, but just enough to characterize it as a well-intentioned near miss. The film follows the diverse, often-surreal experiences of an astronaut (Casey Affleck) on a daring, cutting-edge mission to the Saturnian moon Titan, one that’s to be reached via a gravitational slingshot effect around Jupiter that will propel the craft to its destination at an accelerated speed. That consideration aside, though, the journey is nevertheless a lengthy one, requiring the protagonist and his crew mates (Laurence Fishburne, Tomer Capone) to be placed in drug-induced hibernation for vast stretches of the trip, a tricky proposition given the potential side effects of these powerful substances. This blend of story elements thus sets up the characters for an odyssey (ironically, the name of their ship) fraught with strange dreams, hallucinations and other unexpected developments, particularly when the spacecraft is mysteriously damaged, placing completion of the mission in jeopardy and affecting the psychological stability of the crew. Matters become further complicated when our hero begins having visions of his romantic interest (and one of the ship’s designers) (Emily Beecham) aboard the craft. So what is exactly going on here? That’s what director Mikael Hafstrom seeks to explain, though it’s far from an easy task. While the picture has its moments of intelligence and even poetic insights, it nevertheless struggles with a narrative and screenplay that become a little too convoluted for their own good. The writing, unfortunately, isn’t completely capable of fulfilling its intent, often taking the long way around to connect the dots and involving material that could have used some cleaning up to attain its goal (such as (ironically enough) using some “slingshot” shortcuts to move the story along instead of getting bogged down in plodding, elaborate attempts at explanation). Some will also note the many thematic similarities between this offering and “Spaceman,” released earlier this year (though, admittedly, there are enough distinct tonal differences and plot devices to adequately distinguish the two films and keep them from being labeled copycats). And then rhere’s the production’s tendency to push the limits of appropriate on-screen violence, verging on becoming a little too gratuitous though never actually crossing the line of acceptability (despite coming precariously close on occasion). Regrettably, these shortcomings detract somewhat from some of the picture’s genuinely fine attributes, such as some gorgeous special effects, a simple but smart production design, solid performances and a catchy soundtrack. It’s truly a shame that those elements noted above don’t match the level of these qualities; had “Slingshot” done so, this would have been a stellar release in the same vein as offerings like “Solaris” (2002) and “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) instead of becoming a largely forgettable sci-fi also-ran, a destiny with which it’s ultimately likely to be saddled.
Report
Casey Affleck, Tomer Capone and Laurence Fishburne play astronauts headed to a mission on Titan, Saturn's moon. The recurring hibernations begin to have an effect on Affleck's character. He's either having issues with his crew or having hallucinations, which aren't helped by his constant flashbacks to his relationship on Earth. As the blur between reality and imagination grows, the frustration increases for them AND US. This film had the potential for a gripping psychological thriller, but the conversations go on too long and the personal encounters become tedious. After all the confusion and conflict the ending ended in another disappointment.
Report
Production Company
Bluestone Entertainment,
Filmsquad,
Széchenyi Funds
Release Date Aug 30, 2024
Duration 1 h 49 m
Rating R
Tagline Some fears are darker than space.