Rating: 3.5/5
Synopsis:
My first AMC Screen Unseen is “Slingshot”, a psychological thriller set in the deep darkness of space. After an astronaut gets the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to Saturn’s moon, he begins to experience hallucinations. There is a malfunction on the ship shortly after they awake from hypersleep. The captain and another ship worker disagree on how to handle the situation, putting the three crew members in a tense game of life or death as the ship gets closer to its destination. Will the astronaut lose his grip on reality during the conflict? Or will he have to make a difficult choice to save them all?
Positives:
I had no idea I was seeing this movie prior to purchasing a ticket to AMC Screen Unseen. It’s fair to say I probably wouldn’t have seen it had the movie selection not been a secret. But that’s the great thing about going into a movie blind…a nice surprise might be waiting! I’m happy to say that “Slingshot” exceeded my expectations. It has a surprisingly thoughtful story filled with tension and mystery. The story focuses on John, an ambitious astronaut who is living out his dream. He is the best of the best, getting the opportunity to salvage a future for humanity. But he is often plagued by visions from his past, specifically relating to his ex-girlfriend. The film examines regret and ambition in a unique way where John is forced to deal with these feelings as his mission gets more tense. The story is surprisingly rich in its thematic exploration so credit for combining sci-fi with the dramatic elements. But the story never forgets to be tense either. Since they are having psychological reactions the longer they travel, there is a growing sense of unease as these men spend more time on the ship. The film goes in some unexpected directions and always keeps the audience on their toes.
The performances of the three crew members are excellent. Casey Affleck has gone quiet for a while but he delivers a good performance here. John is a complex character that is the central piece of the story. He is supported by Laurence Fishburne as Captain Franks and Tomer Capone as Nash. Fishburne gives a commanding performance that combines tension with intimidation. He steals the show every time he is on screen. Capone gives us an intense performance as the concerned crew member. He believes they are headed for death if they continue the mission. He conveys a sense of stress and dread as they journey further into space, only to be hit with arguments from Captain Franks. The story requires a lot from these actors and they are all up for the challenge.
Negatives:
“Slingshot” definitely has more positives than negatives, but a few creative decisions hold the film back from being great. The main issue I had with the story was the number of flashbacks John experiences with his ex-girlfriend. I enjoyed seeing their relationship as it added to his troubles in space, giving us context to his decision making as the mission gets tenser. But there was an excessive amount of jumping between time that felt jarring the longer the story went on. I think the story could have trimmed these flashbacks in half and been just as effective. I also thought the final ten minutes jumped around too much. There were about four twists that went back and forth with reveals and exposition. This could have been done with one or two as the resolution ended the same way no matter what. It is a very busy finale that would have benefitted from simpler execution.
Conclusion:
“Slingshot” is a nice surprise that I had no intention of seeing. I’m glad I did though as the psychological thriller elements combined tension with mystery well. A few too many flashbacks and a busy finale can’t take away the successes the story achieves though. Casey Affleck and Laurence Fishburne give great performances and anchor a small scale story with big ambitions. I’d give this one a watch because the story is unique and exciting, breaking up the traditional movies in the market right now.
