A Descoberta

What a waste. The concept and overall story were fantastic. Unfortunately, that is where Netflix is showing its limits with Originals and the sub-par, lazy writing and directing that is barely above novice level. Even the great cast giving their best are unable to save it. This could have been an amazing, smart and original movie but ends up falling flat.

'THE DISCOVERY': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A sci-fi romantic drama about a world where an afterlife has been scientifically proven, and how that knowledge drastically affects society. It was directed by Charlie McDowell, and it was written by McDowell and Justin Lade (the duo also teamed on 2014's 'THE ONE I LOVE'). The film stars Jason Segel, Rooney Mara, Robert Redford, Jesse Plemons, Riley Keough and Ron Canada. It's received mixed reviews from critics, and it was released by Netflix through their streaming site. I found the movie itself to be a little disappointing, due to the extremely promising premise and setup.

The story takes place two years after 'the discovery of an afterlife', by Thomas Harbor (Redford). The scientific proof of an afterlife has caused an extremely dramatic increase in suicides. Thomas's son, Will (Segel), blames his father for the high suicide rate. He travels to see him, at an isolated mansion, where Thomas is doing more research on his findings. Will meets a suicidal woman on his trip, named Isla (Mara), who he later prevents from killing herself. He then brings Isla to his father's mansion, and the two assist him in his research there. The whole time Will is extremely skeptical about the damage they're doing to society, with these new findings.

The movie is extremely dark and depressing, for almost it's entire running length. Like I said, the idea for the film is really intriguing, and fascinating, but it's definitely not fun watching it play out. The performances are decent, and the climax is somewhat interesting, and unpredictable, as well. I had hoped for a lot more from it though, when I started watching it.

Talk about a wasted opportunity.

A fine cast led by the underrated Jason Segal (still doing his best to break out from his How I Met Your Mother persona and delivering a so-so turn when you look back at his role in End of the Tour) and backed up by Rooney Mara, Robert Redford and one of the finest supporting players going around Jason Plemon's isn't enough to save Charlie McDowell's Netflix original Sci-Fi/Drama The Discovery from a disappointing result and ending its runtime as one of the most frustratingly forgettable films in many a moon.

The core idea behind The Discovery, that Redford's scientist Thomas Harber has discovered evidence of a confirmed afterlife, leading to a world in which the suicide rates have ramped up to epidemic levels with Harber then working on a secret project that looks to record this afterlife for those alive to witness is a fantastic one and an idea that strikes up many a various conversation point but McDowell's film which ends up being more of an unbelievable romance between Segal's charisma free Will and Mara's mumbling and emo Isla than anything else feels unable to make the most of its idea.

Perhaps hampered by budget restraint's (although this hardly seems to be a problem for Netflix originals these days) or perhaps just a lack of overall vision. The Discovery showcases glimmers of what could be in stall for us whether it's the oft mentioned suicides, the cult like following Harber has garnered thanks to his work or Will's and Isla's investigation into a possible glimpse of the afterlife they have recorded but all these intriguing elements are quickly swept under the rug and while the film's final reveal makes the journey feel more rewarding than it actually is, you can't help but escape the feeling The Discovery has short-changed its viewers with a mediocre effort of a far more interesting story.

It's great seeing Netflix continue to invest in unique and original film properties but The Discovery will be marked down as one of their clear failures and while this intellectual thinking man's Sci-Fi has moments of greatness, overall this emotionally void experience is one of the dominate companies worst original studio efforts this side of their Sandler "comedies".

2 bunk beds out of 5

The idea behind the premise of The Discovery is an interesting one but its implementation isn't as refined as expected and only works in bits n pieces. It's a thoughtful feature that experiments with existential elements and poses some intriguing questions but it neither presents it in a convincing manner nor remains thoroughly gripping.

Set in the near-future, the story of The Discovery takes place in a world where suicide rate is at an all-time high after a scientist's breakthrough research proved the existence of an afterlife. The plot follows his son who is skeptical of his father's discovery and a mysterious young woman he meets on a ferry who wants to find out more about the afterlife.

Co-written & directed by Charlie McDowell, the film opens with a prologue that skilfully sets up the future the rest of the plot unfolds in. For a while, it appears as if the director is taking more time to properly establish the characters & explore the metaphysical elements but the longer it continues to ponder over the same stuff, the more tedious it becomes.

The script is where the problem lies, for the brilliant hypothesis that the writers came up with isn't meticulously explored as if they couldn't figure out what to do with it, plus none of the characters inhabiting its future-setting are compelling enough. The plot wrapped around its theory begins on a promising note but by the time it ends, it finds itself in a familiar territory.

The cold colour palette, overcast ambiance & muted textures evoke a grim, hopeless future which fits the story requirements. Pacing is an issue as the movie plods through its 102 minutes runtime before concluding with a rushed ending. Rooney Mara, Robert Redford & Jesse Plemons play their part well but Jason Segel is severely miscast, and his chemistry with Mara is absolutely flat.

On an overall scale, The Discovery is one of those sci-fi flicks that teases with a fascinating idea but is unable to fill a compact & captivating narrative structure around it. Deficient in storytelling department and further marred by its cluelessness & lack of vision, it is a dull & sterile mess that had the opportunity to offer a sensory & stimulating experience but what it ultimately delivers is a cinematic ride that's as frustrating as it is hollow.

Just reading the synopsis raised my expectations, which is perhaps why the movie fell flat for me. Instead of an exploration of an intriguing idea, the film really became a declaration of faith in what is essentially a notion that cannot be proven and thus cannot really be known. When assertions are made about the mysteries of consciousness, you either believe them or you do not.

I would have given this a higher rating just for tackling such a difficult topic but the direction, acting and even cinematography never really came together. There were plenty of big, proven names who lent their prestige to this project and yet surprisingly none of the people involved seemed willing to commit. It was like they all knew the outcome would stink but no one wanted to sully their reputations by doing a bad job.

It is worth a watch if you are fans of some of the actors as I am. The arc of the plot is not unsatisfying even though it is in many instances frustrating. A film perhaps to while away the time and put yourself in a more contemplative mood.