Synopsis
Captain William Stanaforth is on a one-way solo mission to take the first steps in colonising Mars. Like all pioneers throughout history, Stanaforth will face insurmountable odds and life and death decisions as he rockets bravely through space.
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Cast
- Mark StrongCaptain William D. Stanaforth
- Luke WilsonLouis 'Skinny' Skinner (CapCom)
- Sanaa LathanCaptain Emily Maddox
- Anders Danielsen LieGreenstreet
- Charles BakerCaptain Frank Worsely
- Bettina SkyeNasa Technician
Recommendations
- 90
Village Voice
Approaching the Unknown is the best science fiction movie since Gravity, and certainly the most melancholy since Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 Solaris. - 70
Los Angeles Times
Under the steady hand of writer-director Mark Elijah Rosenberg, tension and pathos build, slowly sweeping us along with the captain’s fraught yet hopeful exploration. - 67
The Film Stage
Credit Rosenberg for keeping things ambiguous because it does make the film more interesting. Without this lingering sense of potential artifice, Approaching the Unknown becomes a slow-moving descent into acceptance — not quite a riveting plot with the suspenseful intrigue a descent into madness brings. - 60
Arizona Republic
Writer and director Mark Elijah Rosenberg paces things patiently, which in some cases is a polite way of saying there are boring stretches. - 60
The New York Times
If Approaching the Unknown isn’t entirely satisfying, Mr. Strong reaches high with his portrayal of the unraveling of a man who believes survival is a matter of engineering. - 50
Movie Nation
If you want another lesson about why we should be going to Mars and what we’ll encounter and maybe find out about ourselves, “Unknown” will do until we have an actual liftoff. - 50
The A.V. Club
Too high-minded to ever stoop to suspense or fun, Approaching The Unknown is almost completely interiorized, unspooling in voice-over narration that sounds like a writing exercise that got out of control. - 42
Entertainment Weekly
The film doesn’t seem particularly interested in grappling with any of those issues beyond the most superficial level.
