Magellan (2017)

Simply Perfect

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

I realize that different people have different reasons for watching science fiction films. What matters to me is the plot, not the budget for special effects, sets, and costumes. The plot of this movie is suspenseful, well-paced, and thought-provoking. A refreshing change from the proliferation of movies that consist of nonstop, mind-numbing battle scenes and explosions.

Don't be dissuaded by some of the deeply negative reviews. It seems many either lack attention span or weren't focused as the narrative is absolutely logically consistent. As an example, one reviewer complained about the bit where it has been indicated the wife was distressed being a plot hole, but this was absolutely explained in the movie. Everything laid out was realistic, including the behavior by China (which, frankly, is a direct match for *how China behaves today*), the astronaut himself, and by the bureaucrats at the DoD.It's a small story with a small cast but a large concept. A hand picked senior astronaut accepts the most important mission in human history, one that necessitates leaving a chunk of his old life behind even assuming he survives, in exchange for the opportunity to make the greatest discovery imaginable.What he finds is far more Contact, than 2001 (don't be fooled by those lazy comparisons that are based purely on the superficial look and the "AI buddy" with no other similarities to be found), and we are left with a cliff hanger.I'm hoping they make enough to give us a sequel!

Maybe if this were a half hour Twilight Zone episode then we could excuse the lack of an ending. This movie literally ends just as it is about to get interesting. None of the plot lines were resolved. After an hour and 45 minutes, that is inexcusable. I am not putting this movie down for having a low budget. I just wish they had resolved a few things by the end.

If you like sci-fi or space exploration movies, this is one for you. I loved it. It had an interesting idea, moved at a decent pace, had some pretty suspenseful parts, and as a whole was a very enjoyable watch. If there was one thing I would criticize its that I think it would have benefited from a longer run time. I felt like some of the story was a bit rushed, and I would have loved to see more.