I really can't say much about this film, because the revelation and solution to the main problem of the film absolutely ties in with the character development and everything else that happens in the film, and change your perspective on it.
So... yeah. I have to say, the themes are great and it works very well. There may be some Fridge Horror if you think about it, but that doesn't make it a plothole or anything - just more to really think about and consider. It's a very thoughtful film.
One thing that I, and anyone who's a big fan of Hard science fiction, will like is the first 90% of the film. It takes an alien "invasion" very realistically, with a realistic government, military, and even individual response. Unfortunately, the big reveal also requires the "Hardness" rating to suddenly drop 3 pegs. If you've actually got a science degree and this is important to you, you'll notice it right away and you may find it annoying.
For people who want something that looks like realistic science-like film without bothering to actually know science... it's great. It's about the themes, not the science, anyway.
Lastly... the pacing. Despite being a fan, I found it too slow at times. Almost any scene where they're showing you something for the first time... it lasted maybe twice as long as it should have. Every time, when they introduced the location, the ship, the passageway... any form of "introduction" in the film just kept dragging on and on. I know it takes time to soak things in, but I was sitting there, going from being in awe, to understanding, to "just get on with it", to "holy crap how long are they going to spend on this one shot?" Evvvvveeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyy. Siiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggglllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeee.Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Thematically, an excellent film. Science is a little iffy, pacing is slow.
I really can't say much about this film, because the revelation and solution to the main problem of the film absolutely ties in with the character development and everything else that happens in the film, and change your perspective on it.
So... yeah. I have to say, the themes are great and it works very well. There may be some Fridge Horror if you think about it, but that doesn't make it a plothole or anything - just more to really think about and consider. It's a very thoughtful film.
One thing that I, and anyone who's a big fan of Hard science fiction, will like is the first 90% of the film. It takes an alien "invasion" very realistically, with a realistic government, military, and even individual response. Unfortunately, the big reveal also requires the "Hardness" rating to suddenly drop 3 pegs. If you've actually got a science degree and this is important to you, you'll notice it right away and you may find it annoying.
For people who want something that looks like realistic science-like film without bothering to actually know science... it's great. It's about the themes, not the science, anyway.
Lastly... the pacing. Despite being a fan, I found it too slow at times. Almost any scene where they're showing you something for the first time... it lasted maybe twice as long as it should have. Every time, when they introduced the location, the ship, the passageway... any form of "introduction" in the film just kept dragging on and on. I know it takes time to soak things in, but I was sitting there, going from being in awe, to understanding, to "just get on with it", to "holy crap how long are they going to spend on this one shot?" Evvvvveeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyy. Siiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggglllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeee. Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Still, a great film overall.