The film follows Captain William Stanaforth, an American astronaut, as he prepares for a mission to Mars. Like all pioneers throughout history, Stanaforth will face insurmountable odds and life and death decisions as he rockets bravely through space.
If "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.
I wish I could figure out what this would-be trippy space odyssey wants to say. I was hoping for sci-fi philosophy. I got nothing but lifeless nonsense.
Claustrophobic space films certainly don't have to be funny, but writer/director Mark Elijah Rosenberg fails to convey any real psychological chills either with this portrait of an obsessive adventurer banging away at his imperfect machine.
