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Sadly, whilst the cast, production design and direction are first-rate, and although the movie experience in itself is solidly entertaining, this overstuffed affair lacks even a hint of the subtlety, imagination and originality of its 1970s ancestors. Structured around weak and ludicrous plot devices, and in too many ways using a xeroxed template from "Return of the Jedi", itself a very flawed film. I'm absolutely certain that when a nine-film narrative arc was originally envisaged all those decades ago, nobody was expecting episodes 7,8,9 would end up being done as simple rehashes of the immediately prior eps of 4,5,6. Excruciating. Thank God it's over.

Aniara is first of all, a well crafted, beautifully shot and executed human drama. It is deliberately slow, allowing its interrelationships to unfold organically, but with a solid realism. Thus, it is not for everyone, and its pace will frustrate many. The film is rendered in an intriguing dichotomy: on the one hand, absolutely gritty realism almost to a documentary-level precision. On the other, much of what is has to say (perhaps in keeping with its poetry source) is done via symbolism. I'm not sure whether the grit and realism works in favour of revealing the symbolism or against it: one gets caught up in the visceral images and only after, on reflection and analysis, does the symbolism become apparent. The story reveals the full range of human emotions, limitations and extreme behaviours that may emerge under prolonged stress. The filmmakers are unafraid to go anywhere in their depiction of this situation and this is a credit to them. It is a hell of a ride through many layers of existential angst, and the grim tone seldom relents. The film's special effects are satisfactory rather than spectacular, for they are not the point... this is not '2001', it is a story about human life. Recommended, for a mature and thinking audience.

An enjoyable and thought-provoking suspense film, with execellent performances from its small cast. Its superior production quality and design impressively overcome its indy-level budget.

As a science fiction movie (which this is, partly) the attention to detail in the production design is top notch - it looks gorgeous, and features one of the more original and technically-plausible designs for a space-liner (albeit a generation ship) ever seen on screen. Others might be dismissive, but as an adventure-romance it also works for me - because of good tight direction and pacing, but moreover because of the convincing performances of the two leads. In other hands it might not, but Lawrence and Pratt work the hell out of the slight story and their chemistry-enhanced efforts pay off. I was moved, and left the cinema feeling like I'd just seen an excellent high-romance mega-budget episode of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone.

As an older fan hoping to be taken in an exciting new direction by this promising-sounding Star Wars film, I left feeling disappointed in every respect by the script. The remainder of the production - acting, music, VFX and direction, were all excellent - but as a narrative it was a pitiable disaster. The worst of all possible outcomes for a movie audience is to end up not caring about the characters, and that is where this travesty of a film led me. All surface and no depth = wasted opportunity.