Original production by Netflix that, like many other films they produce, has a great technical package, an excellent cast, a Hollywood star that stars and directs it, but it is a too unbalanced work in the narrative.

The film has received a lot of negative feedback from viewers, who have been disappointed with a story that promised to be a post-apocalyptic epic with space travel, and ends up being a story with some emotional moments, but which are so fragmented, that it seems to tell us two films in one, and does not get enough balance on both sides of the film.

What is the plot of the film?

It's the year 2043 and the planet Earth has collapsed, most of the civilization has died, some have been evacuated to subway shelters, but they are temporary. Augustine is a scientist who has stayed at a base in the North Pole, he is sick, he has little time left to live, so he will do the impossible to get in touch with a mission that has two years in space, and is about to return to Earth after exploring a moon of Jupiter that seems to have conditions for human life. Agustín discovers a little girl inside the base, one more problem he must solve, every time the toxic air gets closer to the North Pole and there are problems to communicate with the space explorer who is taking the astronauts, who will also have to face other problems in their return trip, not knowing that life on earth is no longer possible. Augustine, accompanied by the girl named Iris, will have to reach another base with a more powerful antenna, to communicate with the astronauts and avoid their return to earth. Will he achieve his goal? Why is he so determined to do so? Who is the girl? What happened in his past that haunts him?

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The film is an adaptation of the novel Good Morning Midnight by American writer Lily Brooks-Dalton, who was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award in 2015 for her first novel, Motorcycles I Loved: A Memory. The following year, she published Good Morning Midnight, with Randon House, and the rights were acquired to make this science fiction story into a movie.

The screenwriter in charge of the adaptation is Mark L. Smith, known as the screenwriter of The Revenant and Operation Overlord. He is a good scriptwriter, and the novel tells an interesting story, but the result, under the direction of George Clooney, does not meet the great expectations generated.

One part of the film is a post-apocalyptic survival drama. The character of Augustine, who at first will be immersed in the absolute solitude of the North Pole base, waiting to make contact with the space mission, of which he has a great interest. Later, the girl Iris appears. The old man has to face the treatment of his illness, taking pills and receiving blood transfusions, as well as the memories of his past, which seem to torment her. Now, she must also deal with that mysterious girl who appeared at the base.

Both characters, will undertake a dangerous journey in the North Pole to reach another base with a more powerful antenna, having to survive the bad weather conditions, and other dangers they will find on the way. In addition, the air becomes more and more toxic. They will have to get to that base and warn the space mission, before death comes first.

Another part of the film takes us to the spaceship that brings back the astronauts, a group of five astronauts, one of whom is pregnant by the captain. She spends a lot of time watching them live together, their desire to return to earth and see their families again. They do not realize the tragedy, because they cannot make contact with the loop and any other space organism. They will also have to face several problems, which will put their lives in danger.

The transitions between Augustine's survival drama on earth and the astronauts' space adventure are what make the film flawed in its narrative. Sometimes we focus so much on one story that we lose interest in what happens in the other.

It was difficult for me to feel sympathy for some of the astronauts, although all the characters are played by excellent actors, it was difficult for me to connect with them. Of course, there is a very dramatic and emotional scene, it was the only time I was concerned about what was happening with the astronauts.

George Clooney, besides being an excellent actor, seems to me to be a good director, the scenes in space are well done, as well as the scenes that take place in the North Pole, but the way he has compacted the film, has left me with those two environments that fight against each other for the interest of the spectator, achieving the opposite effect.

That's why I understand some bad reviews of the film, which has a long duration, with scenes, especially those of coexistence in space, which lengthen the story and give it a slower pace. By the time the moments of emotion in space arrive, the viewer may feel a little bored.

There are scenes made to impress the audience, but if you saw Gravity, it will seem like a copy. The images of space are very beautiful and how the astronauts have to go outside to make repairs, but I wasn't shocked. Because they didn't show anything new or original.

The final part is the most emotional of all, and there is a twist in the story, where some things will be explained. Augustine's past and who the girl is, I found that whole sequence very beautiful and exciting. The main character getting the redemption he needed.

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Goerge Clooney directs the film and reserves a character, he plays Augustine, the old man who stays at the base of the North Pole, because he needs to help the mission that is returning. As an actor, he is excellent at playing this sick man, who dedicates his last days of life to redeeming himself with his past. In his work as a director, he surrounds himself with a great team, having as director of photography Martin Ruhe, who has among his works, the photography of The American and Harry Brown. For the music of the film, he works with the great Alexandre Desplat, Oscar winner for the films The Great Hotel of Budapest and The Shape of the Water, besides having composed the music for other great films, such as Benjamin Buttorn and The King's Speech.

The girl Caoilinn Springall plays Iris, that stranger who suddenly seems to be at the base where Augustine is, establishing a relationship with the character, although the girl barely speaks. It will be in the final part, where we will discover, who she is.

Felicity Jones plays "Sully", one of the astronauts, second in command of the ship and who is pregnant by the captain. She became an astronaut and then accepted the mission to Jupiter, out of admiration for the man who had the vision of finding that small planet with possibilities of being habitable. This actress jumped to fame and was nominated for many awards, for her performance as Jane Wilde Hawking in the movie Theory of Everything, besides being the protagonist of the universe movie Star wars: Rogue One.

David Oyelowo plays Captain Adewole, who is the head of the space mission and has an adventure with "Sully". The actor does it well, he is known for playing Martin Luther King in the movie Selma and is an actor who could have been better used, but his character really didn't cause me any emotion,

Kyle Chandler plays Mitchell, another astronaut, who wants to come to earth to join his wife and children. His story will try to make us cry, but it doesn't. In my case, I feel that the actor was not taken advantage of either. The great talent of this actor is not totally exploited, he is a crack, especially known for the TV series Friday Night Lights.

The Mexican Demian Bichir plays the astronaut Sanchez, a character that only wanders around the ship, of which we know little, he gets along with everyone, but just like the other characters in the ship, they were not able to make me feel anything, his final decision does not matter to us, because his character is very flat and conventional. The actor is one of the greats of Mexico who has triumphed in Hollywood and we have seen him in movies and television series.

Tiffany Boone plays Maya, the youngest astronaut of all and who also wants to come home to her family, to her cat. There is a lot of emphasis on all that. She stars in the most emotional scene that takes place in space. We recently saw the actress in the role of Roxy Jones in the TV series Hunters.

Trailer

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