Review: Another Earth

                                        Not Just 'Another' Sci-Fi Movie

                Usually, whenever a sci-fi film is made and released, it is supposed to have spectacular action and special effects, or Will Smith fighting aliens and robots. While Another Earth is a sci-fi film that doesn't have blow-em-up action sequences or Will Smith fighting aliens and robots, it is a sci-fi film that people can easily relate to.

                Story:
               Another Earth is about a girl named Rhoda (Brit Marling) who had just gotten into MIT to study astrophysics, but destroys her potential when she causes a tragic accident that kills a composer's wife and son, and lands her in jail for a few years. Before the accident, she hears talk about there being another earth up in the sky and after she gets out of jail, she meets the man whose wife and son she killed named John Burroughs (William Mapother) and they end up fixing each other's lives.

               What I Liked About It:
             To me, this film was shot beautifully. I loved the blue color scheme that is used to reflect Rhoda's depressive mood throughout the film, and the scenes that were shot at the beach were pretty captivating. I also loved how the film showed that even though it is a sci-fi film, it doesn't need heavy use special effects to captivate the audience as the film focuses on deep meaning rather than external  in-your-face action, so if that is what you're expecting because of its categorization as a sci-fi film, then this film isn't for you. It is slowly paced but because it is focused on its storytelling and themes, which deal with forgiveness and wanting to start anew.

              Another thing that I liked was the acting from the two leads, William Mapother and Brit Marling. Their characters have such a heavy dynamic relationship and it is transitioned smoothly without being too dramatic or too light-hearted. This is Brit Marling's feature film debut and I must say, she is outstanding and I look forward to her future work. William Mapother is outstanding as well.

            Plus, the movie was filmed and set in Connecticut, my home state, so that's an added bonus.

             What I Didn't Like About It:
           Nothing.

             Consensus:
          Overall, Another Earth is a highly inventive sci-fi film that relies heavily on quality rather than quantity. If you are looking for a sci-fi film that has originality and thought and doesn't rely heavily on in-your-face special effects, then this I highly recommend.

Rating: 4.5/5