Space exploration always makes for interesting film viewing
despite how seldom it is ever done in a satisfactory way. For every great horror film in space such as Event Horizon (1997) there is the less
successful Apollo 18 (2011). So now there is Europa Report (2013), a found footage styled suspense thriller about
a team of international astronauts whose task it is to venture out to Europa,
one of the moons of Jupiter, which holds the hope of having life unlike any
other planet in our solar system. It is
no new news that Europa is a moon covered in ice and if there is to be any
proof of alien life then it would be underneath the ice on this moon.
The mission is to travel to Europa and drill into the ice in
search of any sign of life. Before they
even arrive at the planet they meet technical difficulty which threatens the
life of the entire crew. There is more
disaster and challenges that the crew must face once they reach Europa which
includes landing in the wrong spot on the moon which threatens the success of
the mission and the possible psychological unraveling of one of the crew
members. Europa presents many challenges
to the crew especially when they final delve under the ice of the moon to
discover something that may be the most dangerous thing they’ve ever encountered.
Told from the perspective of the ships many cameras and
cameras mounted upon the suits of the astronauts the found footage style is
actually very effective for this film.
This is one of the few films of this kind which is both suspenseful and
thrilling and effective as a science fiction and exploration film. Many times the found footage film suffers
from having a great set up but a dreadful follow through in the third act but
this film gets better and better from beginning to end. Even for people who hate found footage films
this is a film that I recommend as it does not succumb to the abysmal failings
of inferior films of this sub genre.
Written by Philip Gelatt and directed by Sebastian Codero Europa Report is one of the better found
footage films out there because of the strong script and director not to
mention the better than expected ensemble cast.
Whether you like horror films or not, science fiction films or not, or
found footage films or not Europa Report is
a film that you will enjoy regardless.
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