On June 5, the science fiction psychological thriller «Slingshot» starring Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne and Tomer Capon was released in cinemas. What to expect from the next space journey — read in the review below.
Pluses:
good cast; some good tense scenes; attempts to confuse the viewer in the ending;
Minuses:
It's a weak, tired movie that drives you into boredom; the film doesn't work well in the genre of melodrama, psychological thriller, or even science fiction;
«Slingshot»
Genre a science fiction psychological thriller
Director Mikael Hofström
Starring Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne, Emily Beecham, Tomer Kapon, David Morrissey, Mark Ebulue
Premiere movie theaters
Year of release 2025
Website IMDb
The crew of the spacecraft «Odyssey 1», consisting of astronaut John, aeronautics expert Nash, and Captain Franks, is headed for Saturn’s largest moon — Titan. Every 90 days, they wake up from hibernation, which can cause some side effects, to check if everything is going according to plan, if the onboard systems are working properly, etc. After the next awakening, John witnesses damage to the ship, probably caused by a collision with some external object, but the system does not recognize the threat to the continuation of the mission.
Over time, the atmosphere on the starship deteriorates: Nash becomes paranoid in the form of an obsessive thought «we’re all going to die», and John keeps seeing the presence of his beloved Zoe, with whom he had a difficult relationship before the flight. Gradually, the situation begins to spiral out of control, and it becomes increasingly difficult for the astronauts to discern what is real and what is a figment of their morbid imagination.
Let’s make a warning right away — if someone was expecting a fascinating science fiction story about a space journey, even if its ambitions and scale are far from Kubrick or Nolan, then it’s better not to start watching. After all, the space setting here is just a backdrop for a very modest, intimate psychological thriller that clumsily pretends to be a real melodrama from the very beginning. And even in the declared genre directions, far from science fiction, «Slingshot» looks unconvincing at least.
At some point during the movie, it’s not hard to forget that the events take place in space, as the filmmakers aren’t really concerned about the sci-fi component. The main storyline is constantly interrupted by flashbacks in the form of Affleck’s character’s dreams/memories of Zoe, i.e. a melodramatic arch. To prevent the viewer from getting confused and still be able to distinguish between events in space and on Earth (which is definitely not a compliment to the film), Affleck had to either grow or glue on a clumsy mustache for the Earth scenes.
But God with that mustache — just remember how lush Henry Cavill’s was in «Mission: Impossible — Fallout» (2018), but the fact that the love line does not evoke any response, but rather irritates, is a problem.
On an emotional level, the inception and sluggish development of John and Zoe’s relationship is no more moving than a yogurt commercial, so the protagonist’s systematic delusions only serve to distract from the main point.
But all is not well aboard the «Odyssey-1» in every sense. While John, who is infinitely tired of constant hibernation, is gradually losing his mind, the character of Tomer Capon, best known to the average viewer for his role as the Frenchman in the hit «The Boys», sees no end in sight. He turns on the panic button at maximum speed. In contrast to these two, the unwavering Lawrence Fishburne, who speaks purely from experience, shows amazing resilience and self-control. It’s no wonder — this guy is clearly no stranger to space travel after his adventures in «Event Horizon» (1997) and «Passengers» (2016).
Moreover, «Slingshot» has in common with the latter not only Fishburne or the damaged starship, but also the loneliness against the backdrop of indifferent space that befalls Chris Pratt’s character, plus the obvious melodrama. The novelty also has something in common with the sensational «Moon» (2009) — at least the screenwriter Nathan Parker, who this time, however, did not work for 5 points.
The same can be said for Swedish director Mikael Hofström. 20 Years ago, he made his Hollywood debut with the thriller «Derailed» starring Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston. Later, he delivered such strong genre examples as «1408» (2007) based on the Stephen King story of the same name and «Escape Plan» (2013), where two action legends Stallone and Schwarzenegger met on the set.
«Slingshot» will definitely not become a significant project in the director’s career.
There are some sporadic attempts in the film to liven up the sluggish action, including lively songs or a few tense scenes. One of them features a natural body horror in the spirit of the scandalous «The Substance» (2024), although the episode is fleeting and doesn’t have the desired effect. In another, when Casey tries to reach Earth with another «Houston, We Have a Problem», you remember that in «Interstellar» (2014) he was on the other side of the screen.
And there is also, after all, an attempt to play with our false expectations, which manifest themselves in the climax. However, in general, this does not save the movie, which is as tired as Casey Affleck’s eyes, from the boredom that overcomes the viewer.
«Slingshot» to something exciting, specifically sci-fi, almost as far away as the Earth is from Saturn. But the movie doesn’t shine in the realm of a psychological thriller with elements of melodrama either, and it’s not a sin for the viewer to fall into hibernation alongside the long-suffering John-Affleck.
Spelling error report
The following text will be sent to our editors: