Film Review – The Astronaut

Writer/director Jess Varley is after something specific with “The Astronaut,” but she doesn’t have a clear idea how to get there. It hopes to be a chiller, at least until it isn’t one, but the material doesn’t have much appreciation for originality, delivering the usual in terms of tight psychological spaces and perceived physical threats around an isolated setting. But there’s noticeable drive to make this endeavor snap to cinematic life, watching Varley oversee music and editing achievements that hope to sell the intensity of a picture that’s mostly flat. “The Astronaut” is headed somewhere, hoping to give viewers a ride of mystery that takes everything all the way to the final shot. The effort is appreciated, but the offering just isn’t very compelling, looking to pull off a major misdirect that lacks a more meaningful payoff. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com