Author Topic: New sci-fi film The Europa Report  (Read 42034 times)

Offline Star One

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New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« on: 12/09/2012 08:16 pm »
Anyone heard anything much about this?

First trailer on the link below.

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/23429/the-europa-report-first-trailer

Kind of reminds me a bit of first trailer for Apollo 18 with this rather mysterious look to it.
« Last Edit: 12/09/2012 08:18 pm by Star One »

Offline Mongo62

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #1 on: 12/09/2012 11:56 pm »
From the movieweb.com report

Quote
Europa is a science fiction adventure that follows a contemporary manned mission to Europa – the fourth moon of Jupiter - the place thought by scientists to hold the greatest probability for alien life in our solar system. When unmanned probes suggest that a hidden ocean exists underneath the icy surface of the moon and could contain single-celled life, an international crew of six embark on a privately funded mission to the edges of our solar system to confirm the data and explore the truly revolutionary scientific discoveries that lie in the Europan ocean.The long and ambitious journey tests the psychological and physical limits of the crew as they travel further into the depths of space.

By incorporating real world scientific research, ship design and mission planning, the film presents an authentic vision of what the next step in human exploration will look and feel like, putting the audience inside the ship with our international crew. Through the perspective of the astronauts, the audience will experience space as it truly is and marvel at the beauty, the vastness and the unknown.

This actually sounds quite intriguing -- perhaps a modern-day 2001?

Online Eric Hedman

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #2 on: 12/10/2012 12:15 am »
The trailer looks good.  I just hope it's good science and good engineering mixed in with a good story.  I just can't stand it when you have the first two and it then devolves into a horror story set in space.

Offline kch

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #3 on: 12/10/2012 12:37 am »
From the movieweb.com report

Quote
Europa is a science fiction adventure that follows a contemporary manned mission to Europa – the fourth moon of Jupiter - the place thought by scientists to hold the greatest probability for alien life in our solar system. When unmanned probes suggest that a hidden ocean exists underneath the icy surface of the moon and could contain single-celled life, an international crew of six embark on a privately funded mission to the edges of our solar system to confirm the data and explore the truly revolutionary scientific discoveries that lie in the Europan ocean.The long and ambitious journey tests the psychological and physical limits of the crew as they travel further into the depths of space.

By incorporating real world scientific research, ship design and mission planning, the film presents an authentic vision of what the next step in human exploration will look and feel like, putting the audience inside the ship with our international crew. Through the perspective of the astronauts, the audience will experience space as it truly is and marvel at the beauty, the vastness and the unknown.

This actually sounds quite intriguing -- perhaps a modern-day 2001?

Or perhaps the Tsien mission from 2010:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010:_Odyssey_Two

Offline Ben the Space Brit

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #4 on: 12/10/2012 12:18 pm »
I've got to say that I'm not sure.  It looks like it has the same overall concept of Apollo 18 - human astronauts being killed off one-by-one by nasty space monsters far from home.

I'll wait until the reviews start coming out here in the UK before I make a final decision.
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Offline Star One

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #5 on: 12/10/2012 05:44 pm »
I've got to say that I'm not sure.  It looks like it has the same overall concept of Apollo 18 - human astronauts being killed off one-by-one by nasty space monsters far from home.

I'll wait until the reviews start coming out here in the UK before I make a final decision.

I agree, I might be unfairly prejudging it but that's the vibe I get off it as well.

Offline kevin-rf

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #6 on: 12/10/2012 05:48 pm »
Quote
ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE.

-Arthur C. Clarke
If you're happy and you know it,
It's your med's!

Offline Mongo62

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #7 on: 12/10/2012 10:31 pm »
I've got to say that I'm not sure.  It looks like it has the same overall concept of Apollo 18 - human astronauts being killed off one-by-one by nasty space monsters far from home.

I'll wait until the reviews start coming out here in the UK before I make a final decision.

I really hope that this is not the case.  The world does not need yet another "alien monsters attack humans in space" movie.  I don't mind if the crew in this movie discovers advanced multicellular life in Europa's oceans, but please make it a realistic depiction of what could really happen in this sort of first-contact situation.
« Last Edit: 12/10/2012 10:32 pm by Mongo62 »

Offline NovaSilisko

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #8 on: 12/13/2012 03:26 am »
I'm cautiously optimistic about this. I really really hope this isn't just "Apollo 18 on Europa"... We need some good hard sci-fi films being made.

Offline KelvinZero

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #9 on: 12/13/2012 07:44 am »
I'm cautiously optimistic about this. I really really hope this isn't just "Apollo 18 on Europa"... We need some good hard sci-fi films being made.

Yeah (not that I wouldnt watch it anyway)

The good news IMO is that these hard SF stories could be produced really cheaply now by indie movie makers: Space environments and vehicles are way easier to render than armies of orcs, and the live sets can be small and cramped. You could probably film the whole thing on a GoPro in a set in your basement.

In fact come to think of it, I have a basement.. I have $500... :)

Offline Garrett

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #10 on: 12/13/2012 09:04 am »
The movie makers have set up this website:
http://www.europaventuresllc.com/

It's a website by the fictional private company in the movie, Europa Ventures LLC, and shows "live" footage from the Europa 1 spacecraft on its way to Europa.

They also have a twitter account: https://twitter.com/EuropaVentures
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Offline Elmar Moelzer

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #11 on: 12/14/2012 08:42 pm »
Thanks for the link! I was not aware of this until now!
This could be really cool like 2001 and 2010 or really crap (like Apollo 18).
There is hope for the former, but experience tells me that it will most likely be the latter.
I would really like to see a great "exploration and adventure" type scifi movie with a more positive tone again. So "please dont make this suck!"
« Last Edit: 12/14/2012 08:43 pm by Elmar Moelzer »

Offline Star One

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #12 on: 12/15/2012 05:46 pm »
I'm cautiously optimistic about this. I really really hope this isn't just "Apollo 18 on Europa"... We need some good hard sci-fi films being made.

I am not sure there is a big enough market for hard sci-fi films these days.

Offline Mongo62

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #13 on: 12/15/2012 06:19 pm »
I am not sure there is a big enough market for hard sci-fi films these days.

For an example, a miniseries based on Larry Niven's "Ringworld" was announced in 2004 and then shelved, presumably because the bean-counters decided that the probable audience size was not worth the expected cost to make it.

I would have LOVED to see that myself.  What's James Cameron doing after Avatar II, maybe he could revive that idea in movie form?  Hugely unlikely, of course.
« Last Edit: 12/15/2012 06:19 pm by Mongo62 »

Offline KelvinZero

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #14 on: 12/16/2012 08:53 am »
I'm cautiously optimistic about this. I really really hope this isn't just "Apollo 18 on Europa"... We need some good hard sci-fi films being made.

I am not sure there is a big enough market for hard sci-fi films these days.

For some reason, perhaps 2001, it has become a cliche to use hard-sf mainly for lonely dehumanized futures. (2001,Outland,Cargo, Gattaca, Pandorum, Moon)

I don't think Hard-SF excludes big dumb fun. For example
* replace FTL to other star systems with plausible propulsion and hundreds of inhabited small icy worlds in this system. If that isnt enough, maybe some crazy self reproducing robot ate a few asteroids and spat out a few thousand Oneil cylinders, entirely unexplored.
* replace aliens with robots and genetically or surgically altered humans and animals. Essentially any bug eyed monster you can imagine is plausible if someone designed it to be a scary guard dog in the first place. Michael Jackson was getting a bit scary for that matter.

You don't need to go that extravagant, but this is just an example that in general the big dumb tropes of sci-fi are not outlawed. At least you can have something that looks and acts the same.

Offline Elmar Moelzer

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #15 on: 12/16/2012 01:22 pm »
I really liked 2001 and Outland. Did not like any of the other movies mentioned here (havent seen cargo).
I think that particularly in times like these, there is an audience for a positive outlook to the future, something that inspires people.

Offline IRobot

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #16 on: 02/08/2013 02:15 am »
More info:

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Sci-Fi-Thriller-Europa-Report-Distributed-By-Magnet-Releasing-35576.html

Quote
Developed in close collaboration with NASA, JPL, SpaceX and other leaders in the scientific community, the film imagines the next step in manned space exploration and is based on recent scientific discoveries and theories.

Offline grondilu

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #17 on: 05/07/2013 01:05 am »

According to io9.com, it might be a very good space movie:

http://io9.com/europa-report-at-last-a-space-thriller-worth-taking-s-493192948

Offline zerda81

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This sounds like a modern-day 2001!

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Offline Star One

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #19 on: 05/13/2013 06:04 pm »

According to io9.com, it might be a very good space movie:

http://io9.com/europa-report-at-last-a-space-thriller-worth-taking-s-493192948

That's positive to hear. It does sound more of an 'old style' film and that is a positive thing here.

Offline fregate

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #20 on: 05/14/2013 06:01 am »
Do not have much faith for Hollywood movies after reading Russian signs on Alexey Leonov spaceship in Space Odyssey 2 - the dumbest was AK-47 Bullets (!) in Russian painted on one of the bulkheads.  :o   
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Offline RanulfC

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #21 on: 05/14/2013 12:47 pm »
Do not have much faith for Hollywood movies after reading Russian signs on Alexey Leonov spaceship in Space Odyssey 2 - the dumbest was AK-47 Bullets (!) in Russian painted on one of the bulkheads.  :o   
Actually that's standard stuff for movies, games, etc. "Inside" jokes and visuals :)

I love watching some of the older Hollywood and British "war" movies with my wife (German) and getting her to tell me what the signs and people are REALLY saying :)

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Offline Robert Thompson

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #22 on: 05/15/2013 02:24 am »
Recommend grass roots short film "L5". Sound quality slips at the end. Overall a surprising effort to produce near-space near-future near-TRL hard science fiction. Most crucially, not a fan film, not exampled, unprecedented (afaik). Shelf-ready CGI in the hands of genuine space exploration enthusiasts, where sets, props and cast are the limiting factor.


Offline KelvinZero

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #23 on: 05/15/2013 08:42 am »
Recommend grass roots short film "L5". Sound quality slips at the end. Overall a surprising effort to produce near-space near-future near-TRL hard science fiction. Most crucially, not a fan film, not exampled, unprecedented (afaik). Shelf-ready CGI in the hands of genuine space exploration enthusiasts, where sets, props and cast are the limiting factor.


Cool! I have always thought HardSF was ideal for low budget film makers. You can have cramped sets and the CG is much easier.

Just the pilot so far?

Offline Robert Thompson

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #24 on: 05/15/2013 01:59 pm »
Presumably it is dead, never to be heard from again, like Firefly, Defying Gravity, Stargate Universe, other recent quality space sci-fi cut down in their prime. It can serve as monument of indictment.

Offline OV135

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #25 on: 05/16/2013 05:10 pm »
Not sure on this film. I'll wait for reviews myself.

Offline Star One

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #26 on: 05/17/2013 07:13 pm »
New trailer for it.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=104446

Apparently you can get a manned vehicle to Europa using an Atlas V, well according to this trailer you can. Looked like the launch of Curiosity they were using.

Not many sci fi films where you can see a quote from Popular Science on the trailer. 
« Last Edit: 05/17/2013 07:18 pm by Star One »

Offline KelvinZero

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #27 on: 05/17/2013 09:17 pm »
Their impression of commercial crew to a preassembled europa vehicle? Looks nice.. Hope it is more than just "We met a greeblie" but could still be enjoyable just for the detail of how they get there and the jupiter effects. Its a staggering world.

Offline Elmar Moelzer

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #28 on: 05/18/2013 07:02 pm »
I really hope that this is good, but I am just scared by the whole "found footage" premise. That means several things to me:
1. bad, lazy camerawork, lots of shaky cam, continuity and coherency problems (why do we not review what happened in the other camera that we just saw seconds ago, when something leaves the line of sight?)
2. You can already guess that everybody dies in the end. So why bother watching it?
3. Usually means a stupid plot. I fear another "Apollo 18".
« Last Edit: 05/18/2013 07:02 pm by Elmar Moelzer »

Offline KelvinZero

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #29 on: 05/18/2013 11:20 pm »
You just have to lower your standards, like me.. ;)

I agree with all your points and I think I could still enjoy this.

Offline Robert Thompson

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #30 on: 05/19/2013 08:19 am »
Thank you. Sometimes if you stay quiet long enough you don't need to say anything.

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #31 on: 05/24/2013 07:45 am »
The Europa Report is one of three upcoming space movies discussed by Dwayne Day: http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2297/1

Online obi-wan

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #32 on: 05/25/2013 11:38 pm »
The trailer looks good.  I just hope it's good science and good engineering mixed in with a good story.  I just can't stand it when you have the first two and it then devolves into a horror story set in space.
Well, if it's really good science and engineering, they would die of radiation within a few days of arriving at Europa, or within minutes of stepping outside EVA...

Offline grondilu

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #33 on: 05/25/2013 11:53 pm »
Question:   do you guys think 2001 was a good "science and engineering" film?

As far as I'm concerned, I loved 2001 but not because it was in any way realistic from a scientific point of view.   It was to some extend, but my point is that it takes more than scientific realism to make a good SF movie.

Let me remind you that in the expression "science-fiction", there is the word "fiction".
« Last Edit: 05/25/2013 11:55 pm by grondilu »

Offline Mader Levap

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #34 on: 05/27/2013 10:32 am »
2. You can already guess that everybody dies in the end. So why bother watching it?
Why you bother watching 95% of anything? You can guess how anything will end just by popularity of ending tropes.
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Offline Proponent

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #35 on: 05/27/2013 11:29 am »
Question:   do you guys think 2001 was a good "science and engineering" film?

I saw it as a kid, and it was long my gold standard for science in science fiction, at least as far as movies went.  In terms of accuracy, it was obviously light years better than, say, Star Trek.

Then, several years ago, I happened to see the last half of 2001 again and I was distracted by the numerous technical errors, such as

* The motion of stars seen through the Discovery's windows;
* The lack of the Coriolis effects that would arise from the small size of Discovery's centrifuge; and
* The lack of acceleration of the pod due to escaping air when David Bowman blows the hatch.

I once read The Making of 2001, which described a technical error in the film.  Specifically, Heywood Floyd is shown aboard the Earth-to-LEO shuttle sucking mashed peas from a small seal container through a transparent tube.  As he finishes, the residual peas in the tube are seen to be drawn back into the container.  According to the book, this would not actually happen microgravity.  To me, on the contrary, it seems that simple suction could easily cause the draw back shown in the movie.

Still, I can't think of a more accurate space-themed sci-fi movie.

Offline KelvinZero

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #36 on: 06/01/2013 11:34 am »
One big technical omission from 2001 were the radiators for the Discovery's nuclear engine. According to "2001:filming the future" these were omitted because they couldnt find a configuration that didnt look like wings. Personally I think that decision was a pity artistically as well as technically. The sail-like look implies long slow voyages to me, which is exactly right.

(edit: before anyone nitpicks on the word 'slow', I think that is an appropriate description for a journey that is uneventful and where the view outside changes extremely gradually)
« Last Edit: 06/01/2013 11:49 am by KelvinZero »

Offline ugordan

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #37 on: 06/01/2013 05:38 pm »
If we are going to get really nit-picky about 2001, the exterior views of Discovery should have had the ship areas that are not in sunlight be completely dark, not have secondary illumination coming from "somewhere". They are in interplanetary cruise, no light source nearby could have produced such illumination.

Yes, it takes away from the "artistic" effect - but then again, doesn't silence in space also?

Offline MattJL

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #38 on: 06/01/2013 05:46 pm »
One big technical omission from 2001 were the radiators for the Discovery's nuclear engine. According to "2001:filming the future" these were omitted because they couldnt find a configuration that didnt look like wings. Personally I think that decision was a pity artistically as well as technically. The sail-like look implies long slow voyages to me, which is exactly right.

(edit: before anyone nitpicks on the word 'slow', I think that is an appropriate description for a journey that is uneventful and where the view outside changes extremely gradually)
Agreed.  I seem to recall that the book described Discovery as almost resembling a dragonfly (with its radiators).

Come to think of it, it looked a lot like this early concept art:
« Last Edit: 06/01/2013 05:48 pm by MattJL »

Offline A_M_Swallow

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #39 on: 06/01/2013 11:53 pm »
If you are going to put radiators on a ship they can change colour as they heat up.

Offline Falcon H

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #40 on: 06/02/2013 12:03 am »
This reminds me of that movie Apollo 18 (shudders) I hated that movie, how can they take something as great as the Apollo program and turn it in to a horror movie.

Offline Elmar Moelzer

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #41 on: 06/02/2013 04:27 am »
This reminds me of that movie Apollo 18 (shudders) I hated that movie, how can they take something as great as the Apollo program and turn it in to a horror movie.
Yepp, I am very affraid that this movie will be simillar.
I liked 2001. The Discovery is beautiful, even with the missing cooling panels, or maybe even because of that.
I can see why they omitted them. All in all I think that 2001 is still one of the most realistic scifi movies. It feels so "close" and tangible.

Offline MattJL

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #42 on: 06/02/2013 04:53 am »
This reminds me of that movie Apollo 18 (shudders) I hated that movie, how can they take something as great as the Apollo program and turn it in to a horror movie.
I don't really understand why screenwriters resort to the tired trope of encountering aliens that serve no purpose but to pick off characters one by one.  Is it that difficult to write a hard sci-fi that is entertaining and doesn't devolve into horror?

This film, unfortunately, feels a lot like Apollo 18 on ice.  My hopes are not high.

Offline KelvinZero

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #43 on: 06/02/2013 11:03 am »
This reminds me of that movie Apollo 18 (shudders) I hated that movie, how can they take something as great as the Apollo program and turn it in to a horror movie.
I don't really understand why screenwriters resort to the tired trope of encountering aliens that serve no purpose but to pick off characters one by one.  Is it that difficult to write a hard sci-fi that is entertaining and doesn't devolve into horror?
There is a lot of agreement on that. I think it would be a great goal for space advocacy groups to fund more positive realistic sci-fi. I think you could do quite a bit with say a 100k prize for best hard-scifi short. You could get a whole bunch of professional-looking short animated films on youtube, and perhaps some of these could be seeds for a successful series.

Offline Elmar Moelzer

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #44 on: 06/02/2013 05:44 pm »
This reminds me of that movie Apollo 18 (shudders) I hated that movie, how can they take something as great as the Apollo program and turn it in to a horror movie.
I don't really understand why screenwriters resort to the tired trope of encountering aliens that serve no purpose but to pick off characters one by one.  Is it that difficult to write a hard sci-fi that is entertaining and doesn't devolve into horror?
There is a lot of agreement on that. I think it would be a great goal for space advocacy groups to fund more positive realistic sci-fi. I think you could do quite a bit with say a 100k prize for best hard-scifi short. You could get a whole bunch of professional-looking short animated films on youtube, and perhaps some of these could be seeds for a successful series.


Quoted for agreement!

Offline Star One

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #45 on: 06/28/2013 04:57 pm »
IGN's review.

Quote
THE VERDICT

The sci-fi fan in me wants to love every second of this found footage space trip, but the film critic in me can’t help but groan at the super slow turn of events and awkward time jumps in Europa Report.

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/06/28/europa-report-review

Offline Oli

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #47 on: 06/30/2013 06:14 am »
I saw it last night. It's not Apollo 18 or Alien, I can tell you that. If you could call it a horror movie at all, it shows the horror of how space doesn't give a rat's backside about humans at all. It's a cold, unforgiving area of uncaring either way. And humans plop down in the middle of it with not exactly happy results.
The film has a very good look to it, but I didn't find the characters very compelling at all. It's also very short, less than 90 minutes.
Wait until it comes out on video, there's really nothing about this film that merits a viewing on a big screen over a smaller one.
While it's not a bad movie, for all the work that went into it (and there is a LOT of NASA cooperation noted in the credits), I just expected more...
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Offline Star One

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #48 on: 08/01/2013 05:39 pm »
Quote
Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey easily sets the highest standard in this department. However, we recently screened the new movie Europa Report, and were taken aback by its respect for audience intelligence while still offering a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat story [watch the trailer below]. It's clear director Sebastián Cordero and writer Philip Gelatt did their science homework. Their characters behave like real people on a believable mission to search for life on Europa -- an icy moon of Jupiter that astrobiologists yearn to explore.
Here, we pick the brain of Kevin Hand, an astrobiologist and expert on Europa at NASA's Jet Propulsion laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and one of the film's volunteer science consultants, on how to create a truly realistic space film that won't bore viewers to tears.
Spoiler alert: Key scenes and plot elements are mentioned here, so bookmark this article if you want to watch the movie first.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-08/qampa-how-realistic-em-europa-reportem-sci-fi-space-thriller

Offline dcfowler1

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #49 on: 08/04/2013 05:42 am »
Just saw it on demand on TV. It was really good. Fairly plausible, and nothing that made me groan.

Dave

Offline Zannanza

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #50 on: 08/04/2013 06:54 am »
New trailer for it.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=104446

Apparently you can get a manned vehicle to Europa using an Atlas V, well according to this trailer you can. Looked like the launch of Curiosity they were using.

Not many sci fi films where you can see a quote from Popular Science on the trailer. 
I suppose the Atlas V is only used for ferrying the crew on a CST-100 or Dragon to the mother ship waiting in LEO.

Offline gfagley

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #51 on: 08/04/2013 07:31 am »
want to go see it but it isn't playing at many movie theaters.  may have to drive 3 hours (each way) across MA to Boston to see it (I live on the other side of MA near NY state).  I wish they where playing it at more places.

Offline TimL

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #52 on: 08/08/2013 04:29 am »
Saw it today, not a bad movie at all. I rather enjoyed it 'except' the forward and back jumping video/storyline gimmick where you're replaying captured video.
"Well if we get lost, we'll just pull in someplace and ask for directions"

Offline newpylong

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #53 on: 08/08/2013 02:26 pm »
The astronaut actions were a little Hollywood for me. In reality they would always go in pairs and the EVA would be highly scripted. Overall it was okay.

I look forward to the movie "Gravity" this fall.

gfagley, you're right. The only place I know of it playing is in Cambridge now. Not even Albany has it.

Offline p51

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #54 on: 08/08/2013 08:26 pm »
***SPOILER ALERT***

I've seen it twice and I still don't get what happened to the Russian who got back to the airlock (where the guy from District 9 shoved him inside). They make it sound like nobody made it home, but what happened to that one guy? I didn't quite get whatever happened to him...
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Offline Blackstar

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #55 on: 08/08/2013 08:40 pm »
***SPOILER ALERT***

I've seen it twice and I still don't get what happened to the Russian who got back to the airlock (where the guy from District 9 shoved him inside). They make it sound like nobody made it home, but what happened to that one guy? I didn't quite get whatever happened to him...

Major spoilers:

He lived through the EVA, but died at the end, with the rest of them. You'll note that early in the film, when it is clear that the other guy has died, the Russian guy is emotionally damaged. We don't know why or what happened, only that he somehow feels very bad about the other guy's death.

It is only when they get to the EVA scene that we see what happened--the Russian got a hole in his suit during an emergency EVA and as the other guy was helping him in, the other guy realized that his own suit was covered with hydrazine and if he came into the airlock too he could contaminate it and they would both die. So he pushed in the Russian and closed the door. He then floated off and died. The Russian guy regained consciousness in the airlock and started screaming in frustration and sorrow.

So the Russian guy lived, but then was emotionally damaged for the rest of the mission. The plan was to leave him in orbit around Europa while the rest of them went to the surface, but they decided that they did not want him to be alone, so they took him down to the surface with them. Then everything goes bad. He realizes that the only way to fix the lander for launching is to go outside and repair the damage. He does that, and also fixes the communications. The ship beams back to Earth all its recorded data, but then cracks through the ice and is destroyed. Everybody dies. But the data and video gets back to Earth.

I realize that the jumping around in time is confusing, but you clearly see him on the ground with them when they land on Europa.

Offline Blackstar

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #56 on: 08/08/2013 08:42 pm »
You can already guess that everybody dies in the end. So why bother watching it?

Because what is important is not that they died, but what they did while they were alive.

Offline p51

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #57 on: 08/08/2013 10:22 pm »
***ARRRR, HERE THERE BE SPOILERS***
I realize that the jumping around in time is confusing, but you clearly see him on the ground with them when they land on Europa.
Thanks, I didn't realize it was the same guy who was also on the ground, it looked like he was still in the "CSM" while the "LEM" was on the surface if you watch it with a linear mindset.
At least in the series "Defying Gravity," they had more than one lander, I assume one could have rescued another in some cases (except for Venus). You'd think a spacecraft this large, going this far, might have had more than one lander, not that it really would have saved anyone from what happened once they got on the surface.
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Offline Blackstar

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #58 on: 08/09/2013 01:57 am »
***ARRRR, HERE THERE BE SPOILERS***
I realize that the jumping around in time is confusing, but you clearly see him on the ground with them when they land on Europa.
Thanks, I didn't realize it was the same guy who was also on the ground, it looked like he was still in the "CSM" while the "LEM" was on the surface if you watch it with a linear mindset.
At least in the series "Defying Gravity," they had more than one lander, I assume one could have rescued another in some cases (except for Venus). You'd think a spacecraft this large, going this far, might have had more than one lander, not that it really would have saved anyone from what happened once they got on the surface.

Well, yeah, but...

First off, Defying Gravity (which I wrote a lot about for The Space Review, you can look up those articles) featured a ship that was visiting multiple planets. So they needed multiple launchers.

Second, although this may seem like a bit of a cop-out, consider that Europa Report had a limited budget, and that affected a number of their filming decisions. For instance, filming the same set as two different landers would have meant doing twice as much filming. You film Actors 1, 2, and 3, and then you have to film Actors 4, 5 and 6, and that takes more time, and time means money. Also, they wanted to create dramatic tension. The Russian guy was mentally unstable, which is why they did not leave him in orbit. But they were also worried about having him around when they landed. And note that he was the first one to spot a light outside the lander. Was he crazy? Turns out he was right, and there was something outside the ship.

I'd also add that in order to save money the filmmakers did something clever, but also inaccurate: they made the lander serve as the command module of the whole spacecraft. Why? Because then they only had a single set. They didn't need to build separate sets for that purpose. Of course, the problem with this is that if they had left the Russian in orbit, how would he have returned home without the lander to serve as the command module?

Let's face it, Europa Report is not a totally accurate film. But if they had tried to be totally accurate, they could not have made the film at all. For starters, humans will die on Europa because of the radiation. We simply will not send humans, even with really great shielding, because the people will be dead quickly, or at the very least they will get radiation poisoning and get very sick. And the ice is not that thin. And a ship cannot travel to Jupiter that fast. And if you want artificial gravity by spinning the ship, you need a MUCH BIGGER radius.

They had to cut corners on all of these things. But I give them a lot of props for what they did. When was the last science fiction movie (other than Star Trek) that sent anybody past Mars?

Offline Bubbinski

Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #59 on: 08/09/2013 04:26 am »
I want to see this movie....but it's not playing in Salt Lake or anywhere near here.  From what I'm gathering on Fandango, I'd need to fly to LA, San Diego, Seattle, or Denver to see this, unless I pay 6.99 on Google Play.  Google Play sounds like the better option.
I'll even excitedly look forward to "flags and footprints" and suborbital missions. Just fly...somewhere.

Offline grondilu

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #60 on: 08/11/2013 02:49 am »
I've watched it.   It's not bad, but I would not recommend it either.

Offline Blackstar

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #61 on: 09/03/2013 08:20 pm »
http://thespacereview.com/article/2359/1

Death, and life, in space
by Dwayne Day
Tuesday, September 3, 2013

    “... As I move back along my route towards the airlock, I become more and more certain that the water is increasing. I feel it covering the sponge on my earphones and I wonder whether I’ll lose audio contact. The water has also almost completely covered the front of my visor, sticking to it and obscuring my vision. I realize that to get over one of the antennae on my route I will have to move my body into a vertical position, also in order for my safety cable to rewind normally. At that moment, as I turn ‘upside-down’, two things happen: the Sun sets, and my ability to see—already compromised by the water—completely vanishes, making my eyes useless; but worse than that, the water covers my nose—a really awful sensation that I make worse by my vain attempts to move the water by shaking my head. By now, the upper part of the helmet is full of water and I can't even be sure that the next time I breathe I will fill my lungs with air and not liquid. To make matters worse, I realize that I can’t even understand which direction I should head in to get back to the airlock. I can’t see more than a few centimeters in front of me, not even enough to make out the handles we use to move around the Station.”

    – EVA 23: exploring the frontier, Luca Parmitano Blog

Who would have thought that an astronaut would drown in space?

Fortunately, Mr. Parmitano did not drown, but his description of what happened during his July EVA demonstrates just how close he came to dying in space, from an entirely unexpected problem. The event reminds me of one of the odder criticisms that I’ve heard of the movie Europa Report. (Warning: this article contains multiple spoilers, so quit now or forever hold your peace.) That criticism is that at least one scene in the movie—an EVA that goes badly resulting in the death of an astronaut—is unrealistic. The criticism seems to be that astronauts would never conduct an unplanned EVA without having backups in place, such as another crewmember ready to assist in an emergency. But this is a rather weak criticism, because the moviemakers did a pretty good job of setting up the situation in a realistic fashion so that there are answers to what happened. It is testimony to the film’s high degree of technical accuracy that you actually have to be relatively familiar with space operations in order to find the inaccuracies.

Offline Robotbeat

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #62 on: 09/03/2013 10:35 pm »
Was a decent film. Good review!
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Offline Star One

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Offline martinlematre

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #64 on: 09/09/2013 07:56 pm »
I liked the first half of the film, which seemed to be pretty scientifically accurate. Then all hell broke loose and they pulled a Sunshine.


Offline p51

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #65 on: 09/09/2013 09:59 pm »
I liked the first half of the film, which seemed to be pretty scientifically accurate. Then all hell broke loose and they pulled a Sunshine.
That's a good way to put it.
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Offline go4mars

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #66 on: 09/09/2013 10:24 pm »
You can already guess that everybody dies in the end. So why bother watching it?

Because what is important is not that they died, but what they did while they were alive.
Your observation is worthy of a bumper sticker! 

To Elmar: I hope your sentiment is confined merely to movies. 

I like this thread.  Maybe I'll start daydreaming about a "nominal" mission screenplay. 
Elasmotherium; hurlyburly Doggerlandic Jentilak steeds insouciantly gallop in viridescent taiga, eluding deluginal Burckle's abyssal excavation.

Offline Robotbeat

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #67 on: 09/09/2013 11:08 pm »
You can already guess that everybody dies in the end. So why bother watching it?

Because what is important is not that they died, but what they did while they were alive.
+Eleven.

All men die. Not all men truly live.
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

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Offline bunker9603

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #68 on: 09/09/2013 11:39 pm »
I was able to watch it on Time Warner Cable. It was an "Early Release Motion Picture" just about a month ago. It was $9.99, but certainly worth every penny.

Offline Oli

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #69 on: 09/21/2013 10:45 pm »
It was ok I guess.

I hated all the explanations by "experts" and voice-overs, in fact anything not happening on the ship was simply annoying and distracted from the experience. Other than that the catastrophic events felt a bit, well, constructed and the lack of realism for a film that pretends to be realistic was a bit disturbing.

What works though is the "found footage" approach, which probably allowed them to save lots of expensive CGI and sets. The actors are ok too, although the characters are somewhat underdeveloped.
« Last Edit: 09/21/2013 11:06 pm by Oli »

Offline Blackstar

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #70 on: 09/23/2013 04:24 pm »

Offline Blackstar

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #71 on: 09/23/2013 05:02 pm »
Here's a group looking at what it would take to do a human Europa mission:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/09/objective-europa/


Offline Robotbeat

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #72 on: 09/23/2013 05:20 pm »
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Federal Government shall plan missions to accommodate the space transportation services capabilities of United States commercial providers. US law http://goo.gl/YZYNt0

Offline Ronpur50

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #73 on: 09/24/2013 02:48 pm »
I watched this film last night.  I found it rather confusing at the beginning, but finally caught on to the found footage premise that was going on.  The decisions of the crew bothered me, why a single crewperson EVA....


The spacewalk incident was very dramatic, and I loved the ship design.

Offline Elmar Moelzer

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #74 on: 10/07/2013 01:09 am »
You can already guess that everybody dies in the end. So why bother watching it?

Because what is important is not that they died, but what they did while they were alive.
Your observation is worthy of a bumper sticker! 

To Elmar: I hope your sentiment is confined merely to movies. 

I like this thread.  Maybe I'll start daydreaming about a "nominal" mission screenplay.
Noone is talking about that. I am all for action and drama in a movie. It is just the same with all found footage movies. The premise gives away the ending. And it annoys me. Plus the camerawork in these movies drives me insane. Also, I generally prefer a somewhat positive ending. Call me naive, but my real life has enough drama and negativity in it. I dont need that in my "entertainment" too.

Offline Lars_J

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #75 on: 11/17/2013 06:00 pm »
I finally saw this (it is on Netflix streaming now in the US) - and I liked it more than I thought I would.

The found footage aspect of it was a nice touch - all footage was from internal or external cameras. They did a fair amount of work to make the ship exterior and interior plausible. (Lots of bags strapped in places like on ISS)

On the bad side I found the shifting timeline (flash forwards and backwards) annoying.

It was also a bit hilarious how nobody thought... Hey, an astronaut is drifting away slowly - if only we weren't in a spaceship with thrusters that would allow us to try and go get him. :D

Offline Blackstar

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #76 on: 11/17/2013 09:48 pm »
It was also a bit hilarious how nobody thought... Hey, an astronaut is drifting away slowly - if only we weren't in a spaceship with thrusters that would allow us to try and go get him. :D

But that was not the problem. The problem was that his spacesuit was covered in hydrazine and they could not let him in the airlock or he would kill the other crewman and himself and contaminate the airlock. If you watch it again, note that he's dead very soon after he floats away.

Offline Lars_J

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #77 on: 11/18/2013 02:50 am »

It was also a bit hilarious how nobody thought... Hey, an astronaut is drifting away slowly - if only we weren't in a spaceship with thrusters that would allow us to try and go get him. :D

But that was not the problem. The problem was that his spacesuit was covered in hydrazine and they could not let him in the airlock or he would kill the other crewman and himself and contaminate the airlock. If you watch it again, note that he's dead very soon after he floats away.

The timeline cutting makes it unclear how much time actually passed - didn't he state he had at least 15-30 mins of air left? They could at least have made an effort to catch up to him while figuring out options. Surely hydrazine also evaporates in vacuum conditions, so the toxicity would be reduced over time.

Anyway, a contrivance of the plot, for sure. (Just like a certain event in 'gravity')

Offline Elmar Moelzer

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #78 on: 11/18/2013 09:25 pm »

The timeline cutting makes it unclear how much time actually passed - didn't he state he had at least 15-30 mins of air left? They could at least have made an effort to catch up to him while figuring out options. Surely hydrazine also evaporates in vacuum conditions, so the toxicity would be reduced over time.

Anyway, a contrivance of the plot, for sure. (Just like a certain event in 'gravity')
I too would believe that hydrazine would evaporate. They could have still cought him and provided him with extra air until that happens. It does seem odd to me too.

Offline DFSL

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #79 on: 11/19/2013 12:19 am »
I recently watched this movie. Can't say I found it particularly compelling.

Offline Star One

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #80 on: 11/19/2013 06:40 am »
This appears to have been out on disc in the US for a while now but no sign of UK release, maybe not enough interest.

Offline Blackstar

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #81 on: 11/19/2013 03:58 pm »
The timeline cutting makes it unclear how much time actually passed

No. You see him floating away and there is dialogue. Within a minute or so he's dead. The timeline cutting is not relevant here because there are no flashbacks during that scene.

Offline Lars_J

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #82 on: 11/19/2013 04:09 pm »
The timeline cutting makes it unclear how much time actually passed

No. You see him floating away and there is dialogue. Within a minute or so he's dead. The timeline cutting is not relevant here because there are no flashbacks during that scene.

Basic film language applies here. It is not a continuous shot. We see the the ship nearby, a quick cut, and then the ship is further away. Another cut, even further away. This happens several times. So significantly more times passes than "a minute or so".
« Last Edit: 11/19/2013 04:53 pm by Lars_J »

Offline IRobot

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #83 on: 11/19/2013 06:28 pm »
I think the movie required an extra half hour to fill some gaps and increase viewer's submersion.
Other than that, I liked it a lot! I would remove some "artificial noise" between camera shots as it becomes a bit repetitive. Also in a multi billion dollar spaceship I think they could afford a tilt and pan camera and some wide angle lenses, so there could be some wider shots from time to time.

Offline p51

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #84 on: 11/22/2013 11:32 pm »
I watched it the one time when it came out and just watched it for the 2nd time today.
It makes so much more sense the second time around!
"The years forever fashion new dreams when old ones go. God pity a one-dream man."
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Offline yg1968

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #85 on: 11/30/2013 02:55 am »
I just saw the movie on Blu Ray. It's good. It reminds me of the Canadian mini-series, Race to Mars.

Offline Zannanza

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #86 on: 12/05/2013 03:16 pm »
It's quite a good space flight thriller for the coast phase, but the latter half gets pretty weird. [spoiler warning]I'm not talking about the giant space octopus that can emit radiation[/spoiler warning], but, just look at the ascend of Europa lander. The craft is intact and they got wrong fuel mix ratio? huh? Do the crew run pre-launch check?
Maybe I'm too mean, it's just a movie, but shouldn't they use a better excuse for crashing the lander for hard sci-fi film?
« Last Edit: 12/06/2013 03:28 am by Zannanza »

Offline p51

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #87 on: 12/05/2013 03:55 pm »
It's quite a good space flight thriller for the coast phase, but the latter half gets pretty weird.
I think this comment is quite fair. I, too, wondered about some of the 'plot twists' that didn't seem to make much sense. The attempted liftoff from the surface was the oddest of them.
"The years forever fashion new dreams when old ones go. God pity a one-dream man."
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Offline Elmar Moelzer

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #88 on: 12/13/2013 02:39 am »
I finally watched the movie on Netflix after people here convincing me to give it a chance. Unfortunately it was everything I would expect from a found footage movie. Lots of bad camera work and a predictable ending. I also think that they missed some opportunities by not showing anything that makes spaceflight beautiful.
The visual effects were great and the technology was relatively plausible. In fact, I think the technology shown was a bit behind the times (e.g. cameras, electronics).
All in all, it was a waste of time.

Offline Zannanza

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #89 on: 12/13/2013 02:57 am »
In fact, I think the technology shown was a bit behind the times (e.g. cameras, electronics).
Agree, assuming in mid 21st-century mission, the artificial intelligent Icarus II flight computer of the film Sunshine better represents realistic electronics technology at that time frame. At least a talking, interactive, integrative and apparently intelligent flight management computer, not unlike a super-enhanced IBM Watson.
« Last Edit: 12/13/2013 02:58 am by Zannanza »

Offline Robotbeat

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #90 on: 12/13/2013 03:39 am »
In fact, I think the technology shown was a bit behind the times (e.g. cameras, electronics).
Agree, assuming in mid 21st-century mission, the artificial intelligent Icarus II flight computer of the film Sunshine better represents realistic electronics technology at that time frame. At least a talking, interactive, integrative and apparently intelligent flight management computer, not unlike a super-enhanced IBM Watson.
A lot of spaceflight stuff /is/ a decade or so behind the times. It takes a while to get everything working reliably in that kind of environment, and if you're on a tight budget...
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Federal Government shall plan missions to accommodate the space transportation services capabilities of United States commercial providers. US law http://goo.gl/YZYNt0

Offline savuporo

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #91 on: 12/24/2013 07:09 am »
Iron Sky was more of a movie than this.

As dry as a drywall.
Orion - the first and only manned not-too-deep-space craft

Offline KelvinZero

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #92 on: 12/24/2013 07:34 am »
Iron Sky was more of a movie than this.

As dry as a drywall.

So dry.. and yet so wet..



(sorry, there was really very little justification for that ;) )

Offline laszlo

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #93 on: 12/26/2013 12:17 pm »
Question:   do you guys think 2001 was a good "science and engineering" film?

I saw it as a kid, and it was long my gold standard for science in science fiction, at least as far as movies went.  In terms of accuracy, it was obviously light years better than, say, Star Trek.

Then, several years ago, I happened to see the last half of 2001 again and I was distracted by the numerous technical errors, such as

* The motion of stars seen through the Discovery's windows;
* The lack of the Coriolis effects that would arise from the small size of Discovery's centrifuge; and
* The lack of acceleration of the pod due to escaping air when David Bowman blows the hatch.

I once read The Making of 2001, which described a technical error in the film.  Specifically, Heywood Floyd is shown aboard the Earth-to-LEO shuttle sucking mashed peas from a small seal container through a transparent tube.  As he finishes, the residual peas in the tube are seen to be drawn back into the container.  According to the book, this would not actually happen microgravity.  To me, on the contrary, it seems that simple suction could easily cause the draw back shown in the movie.

Still, I can't think of a more accurate space-themed sci-fi movie.

I also have enjoyed 2001, but have always had a hard time getting past the fact that the moonship is shown approaching the moon during 3rd quarter, yet we see sunrise over Tycho a few hours later. Even if the whole lunar orbit thing is too much for a film producer, just having someone look at the approach image and point out a brilliantly lit Clavius and Tycho shouldn't have been too hard.

And when TMA-1 wakes up, the configuration of monolith, Earth and Sun overhead is totally impossible.

Then there's that moon shuttle. Could it really have carried enough reaction mass to fly a horizontal low altitude trajectory to Tycho?

I'm willing to give them a pass on the lunar weathering since no one had actually landed on the moon yet (though the Luna, Lunar Orbiter and Surveyor programs should have given some hints as to what to expect).

So while it's a great movie, it's nowhere near as scientifically accurate as the press releases made it out to be.

Offline KelvinZero

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #94 on: 12/26/2013 02:17 pm »
I find the lighting angles only slightly bothersome, because they are artistic choices rather than plot ones. They are still a bit bothersome.

That  low altitude trajectory might make sense. From memory it wasn't thrusting. They might have been on a ballistic path just slightly below orbital velocity. I remember them as behaving as if under gravity inside, but I think the film assumed people would be more comfortable emulating gravity with sticky shoes or whatnot. Now we are used to shots of people in ISS clearly comfortable just floating.

Offline laszlo

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #95 on: 12/26/2013 07:31 pm »
I find the lighting angles only slightly bothersome, because they are artistic choices rather than plot ones. They are still a bit bothersome.

That  low altitude trajectory might make sense. From memory it wasn't thrusting. They might have been on a ballistic path just slightly below orbital velocity. I remember them as behaving as if under gravity inside, but I think the film assumed people would be more comfortable emulating gravity with sticky shoes or whatnot. Now we are used to shots of people in ISS clearly comfortable just floating.

You're right, it was a movie, not a documentary. If it wasn't for the claim of extraordinary scientific accuracy I would probably have ignored most of the gaffs, but not the lighting. Being a lunar astronomer and the fact that the plot of both 2001 and the short story that it was based on were pivotal on the discovery of a buried solar powered alien artefact makes it impossible for me to ignore.

On the other hand, it does sound as if Europa Report has enough potential to make it worth watching. Thanks to everyone for the heads-up.

Offline saturnapollo

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #96 on: 12/26/2013 07:58 pm »
Quote
That  low altitude trajectory might make sense. From memory it wasn't thrusting. They might have been on a ballistic path just slightly below orbital velocity. I remember them as behaving as if under gravity inside, but I think the film assumed people would be more comfortable emulating gravity with sticky shoes or whatnot. Now we are used to shots of people in ISS clearly comfortable just floating.

Yes, 2001 does have its flaws - several in fact, but still the most realistic portrayal of spaceflight in my opinion.

I'm assuming you are talking about the Moonbus. As far as I know it was presumed to be hovering/skimming above the surface as the main engines point downwards. The crew would therefore be in 1/6G. It certainly wasn't going fast enough to be on any sort of ballistic trajectory.

Keith

Offline KelvinZero

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #97 on: 12/26/2013 09:52 pm »
Moonbus is a much better word.
I just went and had a look at the movie again, I agree the speed looks too slow to be ballistic in some shots.

I would dismiss those as artistic licence...

Then I saw the glaring error... :P
There is a shot where one man pours coffee into an open cup. Arrgh. That proves gravity, and it is wrong anyway since Im sure we would stick with covered, spill-safe cups even if there had been 1/6th gravity.

I still cling to the Ballistic theory, relegating that coffee flask to a crime of the prop department. Im pretty sure that Ballistic is the only sensible way for a moonbus to fly, hovering for a rocket would be extremely wasteful of propellant mass that could have been used to get you to the destination faster. What they are displaying is actually very very close to what you should see.

Space craft are often displayed as moving slowly in space. Some of the slow shots are exactly what I would expect from a low ballistic trajectory because it is difficult to judge scale on the moon; they could be 5km up. There is no blatant evidence of thrust (apart from the coffee flask) .They are not swerving around low peaks, there is no evidence such as dust picked up that they really are that low. It would look to me like a perfectly good artist's interpretation of a scientists description of a low ballistic trip.

..really, they did pretty well compared to all the slip ups in the Apollo shots..
(Im kidding  8))

Online robertross

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #98 on: 01/07/2014 03:25 pm »
I got to see this movie on the plane over the holidays. Was actually happy at the chance, as I did not see it listed at the theaters in my area.

I thought it was reasonably good. Much more down to earth than Red Planet.

Basically it's a sci-fi docudrama.

I'd give it a B or B+

Offline Elmar Moelzer

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #99 on: 01/08/2014 03:15 pm »
I think that most spacecraft shown in 2001, including the moon bus were using some sort of advanced NTR propulsion. That and some artistic license makes the "hovering" acceptable. I also think that Collier had a similar image when they showed von Braun's space and moon exploration concepts.
http://www.rogersrocketships.com/UserFiles/Image/RRS_New_Docking_Bay_Images/DB_009_Round_the_moon_ship2.jpg

Offline KelvinZero

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Re: New sci-fi film The Europa Report
« Reply #100 on: 01/17/2014 09:24 am »
I think that most spacecraft shown in 2001, including the moon bus were using some sort of advanced NTR propulsion. That and some artistic license makes the "hovering" acceptable. I also think that Collier had a similar image when they showed von Braun's space and moon exploration concepts.
http://www.rogersrocketships.com/UserFiles/Image/RRS_New_Docking_Bay_Images/DB_009_Round_the_moon_ship2.jpg
IMO hovering is never acceptable because there is no point to it, even if you can. Besides, an NTR that gives you three times the final velocity is impressive, (because of the exponential nature of rocket equation) but that only translates into the ability to hover three times as long as a conventional rocket, which does not sound sufficient to waste fuel doing it willy nilly.

anyway, if the errors in 2001 bother you, consider this shot of the moon shown in almost every episode of Smallville.. :)





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