‘Slingshot’ Review: Casey Affleck Stars as an Astronaut Whose Mind Plays Tricks on Him in Serviceable Space Thriller

As a seasoned space enthusiast who’s spent more time gazing at the stars than most people have in their lifetimes, I must say that “Slingshot” has managed to capture the loneliness and isolation that comes with venturing into the great unknown. Casey Affleck delivers a gripping performance as John, a man lost in space and his own thoughts.

“Silence in the cosmos, but the echo of love’s pain… that’s the tagline for ‘Slingshot’, a gripping sci-fi psychological thriller following an astronaut grappling with heartrending separation during his mission to Saturn’s moon Titan.”

Featuring Casey Affleck in the lead role, directed by Mikael Håfström, this film occasionally resembles a subdued, intriguing take on both Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” and James Gray’s “Ad Astra”. However, it deviates significantly from these films, offering numerous plot turns and red herrings rather than focusing on cosmic spectacles or profound emotional resolutions. The end product is akin to an upgraded B-movie thriller, thanks to its strong cast and cleverly written script. This should make “Slingshot” a comfortable fit for streaming services following its theatrical release.

Ben Affleck plays the character John, who’s part of a three-person team aboard the Odyssey 1 (a nod to Kubrick), a spacecraft on a long voyage to Titan. The mission aims to investigate whether Titan’s abundance of methane gas could potentially aid in addressing our planet’s climate crisis. However, it’s important to note that Slingshot isn’t focused on the practicality or applications of interstellar travel, or the realistic use of all that methane, but rather on John’s deteriorating mental condition as he ventures deeper into our solar system.

The astronaut appears to be deeply affected by what’s often referred to as “deep space sadness,” frequently haunted in his dreams by the image of his girlfriend Zoe (Emily Beecham), whom he encountered at a place similar to NASA. She reappears in his dreams every time he enters hibernation, which is quite frequent in this film. Affleck’s acting style has never been particularly animated, and the fact that his character spends most of the movie in a semi-sleepy state due to hibernation aligns well with his acting style.

Tensions rise rapidly among John’s colleagues, Captain Franks (Laurence Fishburne) and co-pilot Nash (Tomer Capone), as they argue following damage to the ship during flight. Nash expresses concern that the critical “slingshot” maneuver might lead to their demise rather than successfully propelling them from Jupiter to Saturn. However, Captain Franks remains focused on completing the mission, disregarding the potential dangers involved.

The material appears quite standard, but Håfström seems to be more focused on delving into John’s memories, nightmares, and mental struggles, much like his adaptation of Stephen King’s “1408,” where a man becomes unhinged in a hotel room. Similar to that film, the director has a talent for confining unreliable narrators within tight spaces that ultimately lead to their downfall. Essentially, if we disregard the space elements, “Slingshot” can be seen as a psychological thriller set in a single location with a solitary character, consistently challenging the viewer’s trust in what they are witnessing.

1. Is John feeling devastated due to his long journey to Saturn’s opposite side leaving Zoe behind, or is he so detached that it doesn’t affect him? Is Nash attempting to undermine the mission because of his instability, or is he doing everything he can to protect their lives? And why does Frank all of a sudden pull out a gun to restore order on the spacecraft? A more intriguing query: Who would dare to carry a firearm aboard a spaceship?

The film begins with a neutral female voice, belonging to the machine, cautioning John about potential side effects from the sleep-inducing drugs. As the story unfolds, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between the drug’s side effects and actual reality, leaving us questioning throughout. By the climax of Slingshot, during its third act, an unexpected and non-spoilable twist arises, causing doubt about whether anything we’re seeing is genuine at all.

The movie should maintain an element of mystery until the final scene, and perhaps even beyond that point. However, it’s a delicate balance, as if nothing is genuine, why should we feel concern for the characters on Odyssey 1 perishing? If Slingshot doesn’t ultimately revolve around a broken romance, then what is its central theme? The film successfully portrays the desolation and despair that John encounters during his lengthy, bizarre journey, with Affleck delivering a convincing performance as he repeatedly wakes up and falls asleep.

Fishburne and Capone, who are both excellent actors, deliver powerful performances even within the limitations of their characters, as they don’t have much space to develop outside of John’s internal struggles. The movie “Slingshot” has a confined feel, with a shuttle (designed by Barry Chusid, known for his work on “San Andreas”) that appears smaller than the one from “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Unfortunately, it lacks the expansiveness and wonder that such a journey typically provides. Despite John supposedly traveling millions of miles, he remains trapped within his own thoughts, as do we viewers.

2024-08-27 22:55

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