Review Europa Report (2013): I feel like I have been tricked....

genre: science fiction, thriller

The only reason why I was compelled to watch this film was because of Sharlto Copley. Had I known that his role was going to be this minor I would not have bothered at all. There is nothing else in this movie that makes it worth watching. No, seriously there truly is nothing else.

I think Sharlto has been used to draw in an audience and nothing more as his part was really insignificant. This would not have been that much of a problem for me had the story been captivating or the other characters been more interesting. Daniel Wu was likable enough but he did not get that much to do really. Actually surprisingly very little happens on screen to give a damn. In essence it's about a group of astronauts doing research on Europa one of Jupiter's moons. Main goal was to find evidence of life. Now usually I find this stuff incredibly fascinating. On a school trip to an observatory many many years ago when I still was a very young Chrichton we were shown this film that was shot by this old unmanned spacecraft and it totally blew me away. Something that was out there so far away was now on the screen in all it's glory and it was magnificent. I saw how impressive the planet Jupiter and it's moons were. I was hoping to regain this fascination through the story being told in Europa Report. Only problem was that no attempt is made to do so whatsoever. You basically get to see a few persons pressing buttons where sometimes new problems would surface with very predictable outcomes. If I think back they even give away right in the beginning how it is going to end. How on Earth can you then expect me to keep paying attention or care about what happens in the film? All this time I was hoping for some wonderful twist or spin that would put me on the edge of my seat. Michael Nyqvist as Andrei Blok was acting a little suspicious and I could have sworn that something was not right with him. I would have applauded if my theory was right. No such luck however. He was just very quirky and super serious about his job. Oh joy! And then to add further insult the ending. Don't worry I won't spoil it but it is one of those endings that you understand it is supposed to impress but because of incredible poor storytelling doesn't have the impact it should. 

Biggest problem of the way this film is set up is that they are trying to convince you that all the footage you see and hear is real. Like it's a documentary or some kind of reality show in space. But the people in this film never act like real people. They obviously are actors who play a role. I was willing to overlook all of this had they just told a story about something worth wile. In my opinion there was nothing of the sort. That is why I feel like I have been tricked. Don't bother with this. It's a giant waste of your time.

For more on Sharlto Copley's role click the hide / show button.

Like I said I feel like Sharlto Copley has been used to drawn in a crowd. Literally at the start of the mission we find out that his character died. It takes a little while for them to actually show how that happens but you could say it's a heroic death as he sacrifices himself to save another. Prior to that we learn that he loves his kids and that he is having fun. That is it. He barely interacts with the others and overall he does not seem important at all. It boggles my mind why they would waste an opportunity to get the most of such a phenomenal actor. His role literally could have been played by anyone and it would not have made a difference. I don't care how good you are technically if you don't use the talent you have available you have failed as a director.

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