The Astronaut's Wife (1999)

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The plot of the movie is not good, however the cinematography is alright. Charlize Theron plays a sympathetic character and I thought she was the force that kept the energy in the film going. Johnny Depp has done better films (What's Eating Gilbert Grape) and I felt that he was wasted in this flick. The ending of the film was a major let down the first time I saw this film. I also thought the supposed twist at the end was an extra let down. I think the movie would have been better if the first half had stayed the same but lose the second half. The special effects were decent. I felt like this movie was an attempt at being "Rosemary's Baby." However Rosemary's Baby is a hard to mimic film. No actress can imitate Mia Farrow. Roman Polanski (despite his personality flaws and scandals) was a terrific director. In my opinion, I felt the director was trying to summon the same edginess from Rosemary's Baby for this film.

Here's a Theory Why Everyone on the Planet Hated This One. At Least Everyone On This Planet. It's Got Two Popular and Attractive Actors Playing a Very Unlikeable Pretty Boy Astronaut That is Abusive to His Beautiful, Trophy Wife That is in a State of Panic and Depression Through Most of the Film.Not Going to Sit Well with the Popcorn Crowd. Especially Couples Who Came for Some Cheap Scares and Silly Sci-Fi. This is Nothing of the Sort. It is a Relentlessly Downbeat, Creepy, Scary Time At the Movies.The Suspense is Unbearable at Times and There is Virtually No Relief. This is a Horror Show and Most of it is Horrifying and Grates on a Psychological and Emotional Level that is Distinctively Disturbing. It Will Remind Some of Polanski's Rosemary's Baby (1968) and it is Similar in Tone, to The Devil's Advocate (1997) Without the Humor.If You Can Take It, This is Quite an Onslaught of Unordinary Chills. It is a Cousin to the X-Files, a Popular TV-Show from the Decade, but More Unsettling, Kinda Like Millennium, an X-Files Cousin of Its Own, an Underrated and Definitely Downbeat TV-Show from Chris Carter and the X-Files Team that Lasted Three Seasons.This is an Underrated, Well Mounted Movie that is Worth a Watch If You Can Stand the Tension.

The Astronaut's Wife (1999): Dir: Rand Ravich / Cast: Charlize Theron, Johnny Depp, Clea DuVall, Joe Morton, Nick Cassavetes: Basically Rosemary's Baby from space without suspense. A space flight returns two astronauts unconscious. One of them eventually dies while attending a party and his wife electrocutes herself in the bathtub. Johnny Depp plays the astronaut and Charlize Theron plays his wife. After savage love making she becomes pregnant with twins. Joe Morton plays a former employee of the space station who attempts to warn Theron of what really took place. Theron is required to act suspicious until she gives birth to E.T and discover that her husband is a refugee from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Director Rand Ravich does his best to rip off Rosemary's Baby with Theron even getting a Mia Farrow haircut. Depp is in the John Cassavetes role where he is required to creep up and startle Theron at every opportunity. Joe Morton tackles the Maurice Evans role where he attempts a warning. Clea DuVall plays the ill fate sister whose biggest problem isn't her fate, but the reality that her career came down to this. Since this film seems to be ripping off Rosemary's Baby then I strongly recommend that film as oppose to this scare lacking piece of guck. Boring snore fest about as suspenseful as a commercial for laundry detergent. Score: 1 / 10

From about half way through, where the film should have been more and more exciting, it felt more and more like a drama about an abused wife. There were gaps in the story, or at least I saw them as gaps. There were story bits which didn't make much sense to me. I can't decide if the acting was bad or just the lines/story. In a thriller or sci-fi in general, you are expected to see things which are not exactly realistic. But when they get to point where they become strong plot points which don't make any sense, then the game is lost.At least the ending was cool, not perfect, but cool.With small changes here and there, the movie could have been much better, but it's not.I give it a 6 out of 10 because it had some good moments (including great acting by the supporting cast) and I believe the heart of the makers was at the right place.