Europa Report 2013

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: This sincerity, coupled with a documentary-style approach, can feel a little dry, but the script's refusal to go to extremes only raises its plausibility. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: "Europa Report" goes ploddingly where bolder films have gone before. Read more

Michael D. Lemonick, TIME Magazine: The idea that life evolved independently on Europa is perfectly plausible-and that makes what would be a fun and exciting film in any case all the more worth watching. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: Two currently popular strands of genre filmmaking, the low-budget sci-fier and the found-footage thriller, merge to reasonably plausible and impressively controlled effect in Europa Report. Read more

A.A. Dowd, AV Club: There's something adventurous about dicing a deep-space opus into home-video fragments. Call it one small step for found-footage, and leave it at that. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: There is something refreshing in the decidedly downbeat "Europa Report," a science-fiction film with the emphasis on science that doesn't cheat on the tension. Read more

Mark Feeney, Boston Globe: What isn't straightforward about the plot is either hackneyed, implausible, or both. Read more

Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: I'm not qualified to judge the accuracy of the scientific detail, though the filmmakers convey a genuine respect for hard science instead of the cursory interest shown by most science fiction movies. Read more

William Goss, Film.com: Its high-minded emphasis on exploration and impeccable special effects are pitted against a familiar one-by-one slasher-like plot and structural cheats... Read more

Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter: Some viewers might have preferred a stronger finale, but the movie manages to raise provocative scientific questions about our place in the universe while also delivering some neat, understated thrills. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: "Europa Report" is a Grade A version of a B picture, a streamlined science fiction story that smartly tells a familiar tale without breaking the bank. Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: While Europa Report recalls such small-ensemble stuck-in-space flicks as Moon and Sunshine, it's basically The Blair Witch Project relocated to the vicinity of Jupiter. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Finally, a found-footage thriller that merits, and expands on, this irrationally popular format. Read more

Sara Stewart, New York Post: The real treat here is the science, not the fiction. The film's sleek aesthetic was developed in consultation with NASA about what such a mission would actually require, and look like as viewed on surveillance cameras. Read more

Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer: There are scenes of unutterable beauty in Europa Report, a low-budget space exploration sci-fi suspenser from Ecuadorian director Sebastian Cordero. Read more

Christy Lemire, RogerEbert.com: Working from Philip Gelatt's script, Cordero keeps things consistent, elegant and streamlined. "Europa Report" actually may be understated to a fault, but that's preferable to gratuitous melodrama. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: If this isn't quite a great movie, it should be an immensely gratifying one for sci-fi fans tired of the conceptual overkill and general dumbness of "Prometheus" or "Star Trek Into Darkness." Read more

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: Low key and earnest, Sebastian Cordero's "Europa Report" makes compelling use of familiar genre material to create an intelligent science fiction thriller. Read more

Keith Uhlich, Time Out: The sights are gorgeous-a seamless mix of archival imagery and impressively rendered digital views of our galaxy-and the science is, to layman's eyes and ears, more than credible. Read more

Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice: Simply put, the care and thoughtfulness that goes into footage-faking has not been applied to the film's script or structure. Read more

Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: There are genuinely chilling moments in "Europa Report," thanks in no small part to a talented cast that will likely look familiar to viewers, even if the actors' names aren't instantly recognizable. Read more