First off, I have to say that the film managed to surprise me because I was expecting a pretty bad production... Because 2024 continues to be a year where major studios market bad films with big actors and big directors...
"An astronaut on a potentially doomed mission to Saturn's moon Titan struggles to maintain his grip on reality."
The film, with its back-and-forth narrative reminiscent of "Solaris" (not the 1972 version, but more like the 2002 one), is directed by Mikael Håfström, who had already shown his inclination towards this style of storytelling in his earlier film "1408" (2007), an adaptation of Stephen King's short story of the same name, which brought him recognition from a wider audience.
Casey Affleck and Laurence Fishburne have given their best, and I think they've delivered a performance that's adequate for this middling film and doesn't deserve the harsh criticism it has received.
One wishes to see more of space in this film, which was entirely shot in a studio...
The film's score is composed by Lorne Balfe, and to give credit where it's due, the music is even better than the film itself.
At the end of the day, we, as fans of science fiction and horror cinema, are certain that as of 2024, we won't be getting any more masterpieces, but at least we want films that are decent. In this context, "Slingshot" is a film that "does the job."
