In “The Astronaut,” we’re plunged into a mystery that aims for the stars but struggles to truly take off. Kate Mara stars as a NASA astronaut who crashes back to Earth, stripped of her memories from space and sporting a disturbing, spreading necrotic bruise. While the premise promises thrilling suspense, the film ultimately delivers a surprisingly lukewarm experience.
Our protagonist, Sam, finds herself confined to a remote safe house under cosmic quarantine. She begins to witness chilling phenomena: shadow figures, levitating objects, and the unsettling progression of her own skin lesions. Yet, Sam’s reaction to these increasingly terrifying events is curiously understated, almost as if she’s constantly rationalizing them away. This leads to a “twist” ending that, rather than shocking or satisfying, elicits little more than a mild, “Oh, okay.”
The film unfortunately settles into a “soft, safe middle,” which is a disservice to its talented cast, including Laurence Fishburne and Gabriel Luna, and the production budget. It’s neither a gripping body horror nor an exciting family adventure; instead, it’s a thriller-lite offering that, despite a theatrical release during “Spooky Season,” exemplifies the cautious, often bland, landscape of modern streaming content.
First-time writer/director Jess Varley demonstrates a keen visual sense and crafts a few tense moments. However, the ultimate revelation feels incredibly thin. Building a movie heavily around a twist is always a gamble, and if the payoff isn’t compelling enough to justify the slow build-up and viewer speculation, the third act is bound to fizzle. This movie, unfortunately, feels like its entire narrative was awkwardly reverse-engineered solely for that underwhelming conclusion.
While Kate Mara leads the charge, supported by Laurence Fishburne as her adoptive father and Gabriel Luna as her estranged husband, the characters often suffer from a lack of genuine communication, seemingly to prolong the mystery. Scarlett Holmes as Sam’s daughter, Izzy, represents Sam’s internal conflict between her family and her passion for space. It becomes clear that Sam’s interstellar ambitions have created rifts in her personal life, and her unwavering desire to return to space makes her strangely oblivious to classic horror signs of extraterrestrial interference.
There’s nothing overtly bad about “The Astronaut”; it’s simply inert. The film’s themes and ideas are underwhelming, and its execution, while competent, feels overly cautious. In a genre celebrated for its imagination and innovation, this movie plays it too safe, failing to challenge sensibilities or offer anything new. When a space-themed film ultimately has nothing profound to say, it leaves a noticeable void that’s genuinely disappointing.
Verdict
“The Astronaut” benefits from a strong lead performance by Kate Mara and competently staged moments of sci-fi mystery. However, it ultimately falls flat as a rather humdrum entry in a genre typically bursting with creativity. The uninspired twist will leave you with more questions than answers, often highlighting how parts of the story felt contrived purely to support that twist. While Mara’s portrayal of paranoia and her cat-and-mouse game with lurking shadows might initially attract viewers seeking thrills, the film ultimately fails to deliver a satisfying or memorable experience.