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All-Reviews.com Movie/Video Review
The Astronaut's Wife
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 out of 4
Review by MrBrown
2 stars out of 4
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New Line opted to not screen in advance for critics this
once-high-profile sci-fi thriller, but the film is far from the flat-out
disaster that decision would imply. In fact, there is a lot of merit on
display here, not the least of which is that of the terrific lead
performance of Charlize Theron, who once again proves to be the real deal
actingwise. She plays the title character, whose world becomes
increasingly nighmarish after her husband (Johnny Depp) returns from an
accident-plagued space mission. Something is not quite right with him,
and neither are his unborn twins that she is carrying. For a first-time
director, Rand Ravich displays a strong sense of visual style as well as
a command of mood, for an atmosphere of dread is ominously felt
throughout the picture.
However, it turns out that Ravich has no idea what exactly the dread is
leading up to. He is also a first-time writer, and his inexperience
shows. All the stylish visuals in the world cannot hide the fact that
the film's story simply does not add up, leaving tons more questions than
answers in its incredibly unsatisfying wrapup. One such question is that
of the miscast Depp's (alas, "evil" is beyond this good actor's range)
involvement in this picture, other than the obvious (i.e., an easy
paycheck). Theron and Ravich's style keeps one watching, but by the
conclusion one may wish one hadn't.
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