Ares 11 (2016)

Ares 11: Directed by Robert Goodrich. With David Hyland, Patricia Storch, HavreDe Hill, Jack James. Four crew members of a military spacecraft are faced with an unfathomable dilemma after their ship is attacked, leaving them only enough air for two of them to return to base alive. In a fight for survival, each crew member must decide whether they are to accept their fate or betray their friends, as tensions rise and the air slowly leaks from the crippled spacecraft.

“There are lots and lots of really, really bad science fiction films out there. With many of them itu0026#39;s apparent the filmmakers really didnu0026#39;t care – all they wanted to do was get a film made, regardless of the quality. I sense that thatu0026#39;s not the case here. Although the film falls short in some respects,u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI do have a good deal of respect for the filmmaking team, most of whom are fairly inexperienced. For instance, at the time Iu0026#39;m writing this, writer/director/producer/cinematographer has three IMDb credits as director. Thatu0026#39;s not many, and two of those were shorts. (I need to point out here that I donu0026#39;t know Mr. Goodman.) Realize this: one of the worldu0026#39;s most famous directoru0026#39;s first go at making a feature film wasnu0026#39;t as successful as Ares 11 in my opinion. Iu0026#39;ll mention the famous filmmaker at the end of the review.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs for the acting, I have to say that itu0026#39;s all solid. The cast doesnu0026#39;t really have much to show their talents, but none of them come across as phony. This isnu0026#39;t the kind of film where the actors can u0026quot;chew the scenery.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo for some more specifics…u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s obvious the filmmakers researched and incorporated realistic technology and dialogue into the film. Iu0026#39;m personally not a fan of films like Star Wars because the filmmakers can invent anything they want to get characters into trouble and out of trouble. As a result, I donu0026#39;t really connect with those characters or stories. Thatu0026#39;s just me; I much prefer science fiction films that are grounded in reality (with some exceptions). Although Ares 11 is obviously centered around capabilities we donu0026#39;t yet have, none of it seems to be removed from future possibility. So yes, the filmmakers took old and current space technology and extrapolated it to a realistic and achievable future.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDespite my appreciation for the work the filmmakers have done, there are some areas it fell short in. Hopefully theyu0026#39;ll be reading this and can consider my words as guidance, for whatever these words are worth. There are parts in the film, especially during the first third or so, with lots of techy dialogue filler that serves no purpose other than to add an aura of authenticity. I think some of that fat could have been trimmed. That would, of course, make an already short feature film a little shorter, but that could be fleshed out with more character development, a facet of the film that I feel was neglected. The characters all seem to have interesting personalities on the surface, but we donu0026#39;t get a feel for what drives them, what makes them act as they do and make the decisions they do. (Some of the best science fiction films also ignore character development,. like Alien, but thereu0026#39;s more inter-character conflict and that serves some of the same purpose.)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs the plot takes itu0026#39;s most dire turn, the dialogue spoken by the mission control person is extremely unlikely. I donu0026#39;t want to give away details, but I will say that some of what was suggested by that character, if discussed at all, would likely have been mentioned in vague terms because of its sensitive nature.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGoing back to some positives, some fairly minor plot points were well thought-out. Example: the discussion about what to do with the u0026quot;man portableu0026quot; (my term) weapons onboard the spacecraft. This is an angle that could have easily been overlooked when writing the screenplay, but including it added a bit of interest that would otherwise be missing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere were hits and there were misses. My IMDb reviews tend to be shorter than this one, and I usually either review terrible movies (writing those is fun) or hidden gems. I wouldnu0026#39;t classify Ares 11 as terrible or a gem, but I see that a lot of heart (and perspiration, as per the trivia) was invested in the film, and I want to encourage the filmmakers to keep at it.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAres 11 is more earnest than most low budget films out there, and heck, even most mega budget films arenu0026#39;t as earnest as this.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIs Ares 11 great? No. Is Ares 11 good? Well, so-so. But Ares 11 isnu0026#39;t _bad_.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOkay, so now for the reveal. What director completed at least three short films before making a feature, a feature that I donu0026#39;t believe matched the quality of Ares 11?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eStanley Kubrick. Yes, thatu0026#39;s correct. Kubrick made Day of the Fight, The Flying Padre, and The Seafarers, all short documentaries, all before he made Fear and Desire. Kubrick disowned Fear and Desire. Iu0026#39;m a HUGE Kubrick fan, but even I have to agree that Fear and Desire wasnu0026#39;t an artistic success. Iu0026#39;m sure Kubrick gave as much to making that as the Ares 11 filmmaking team did, and I think the Ares 11 team ended up with a much, much better film than Fear and Desire. So… Goodman, Hyland, Storch, De Hill, James, Bell, and everyone else involved in making Ares 11 – DO NOT STOP MAKING FILMS. May I suggest going back to shorts for awhile? This will let you all hone your craft, giving you more opportunities to experiment and fail or succeed than making fewer features would. I think two or three more shorts might prime you all for much greater things. I truly do hope I see more from all of you.”