How Realistic Is The Sci-Fi Space Thriller 'Europa Report'?

Thursday, August 1, 2013 - 10:30 in Astronomy & Space

Europa Report Wayfare Entertainment We chat with Kevin Hand, an astrobiologist who consulted on the film, about realism in space thrillers, why actors are better than robots, and more. It's rare that a great space movie breaks the Hollywood traditions of big budgets, blatant abuse of physics, over-the-top special effects, factitious characters, and hokey one-liners. Successfully straddling the line between fact and reality, as these space oddities strive to do, is extraordinarily difficult. Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey easily sets the highest standard in this department. However, we recently screened the new movie Europa Report, and were taken aback by its respect for audience intelligence while still offering a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat story [watch the trailer below]. It's clear director Sebastián Cordero and writer Philip Gelatt did their science homework. Their characters behave like real people on a believable mission to search for life on Europa --...

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