53
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Village VoiceSherilyn ConnellyVillage VoiceSherilyn ConnellyApproaching the Unknown is the best science fiction movie since Gravity, and certainly the most melancholy since Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 Solaris.
- 70Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinUnder the steady hand of writer-director Mark Elijah Rosenberg, tension and pathos build, slowly sweeping us along with the captain’s fraught yet hopeful exploration.
- 67The Film StageJared MobarakThe Film StageJared MobarakCredit Rosenberg for keeping things ambiguous because it does make the film more interesting. Without this lingering sense of potential artifice, Approaching the Unknown becomes a slow-moving descent into acceptance — not quite a riveting plot with the suspenseful intrigue a descent into madness brings.
- 60Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzArizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzWriter and director Mark Elijah Rosenberg paces things patiently, which in some cases is a polite way of saying there are boring stretches.
- 60The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergIf Approaching the Unknown isn’t entirely satisfying, Mr. Strong reaches high with his portrayal of the unraveling of a man who believes survival is a matter of engineering.
- 50Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreIf you want another lesson about why we should be going to Mars and what we’ll encounter and maybe find out about ourselves, “Unknown” will do until we have an actual liftoff.
- 50The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyToo high-minded to ever stoop to suspense or fun, Approaching The Unknown is almost completely interiorized, unspooling in voice-over narration that sounds like a writing exercise that got out of control.
- 42Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyEntertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyThe film doesn’t seem particularly interested in grappling with any of those issues beyond the most superficial level.
- 38Slant MagazineSlant MagazineThe film fails to lay down the character foundation that might have elevated the third-act histrionics.
- 38New York PostSara StewartNew York PostSara StewartUnfortunately, his machine fails en route; way more unfortunately, he comes up very short compared to Mark Watney, the red planet-stranded astronaut played with such humor and energy by Matt Damon in last year’s “The Martian.”