Review of Europa Report (2013) by Lukas Z — 17 Dec 2013

Despite a lack of character development and a thin plot, there is some palpable tension (particularly in the last 20 minutes) and scientific plausibility which makes this a mostly effective thriller. One thing that really stands out is they way in which the film uses "found footage.

" Here, it's more organic to the story and not used as a gimmick at all. The "found footage" is also supplemented with interview footage, and this provides needed context for what the audience is seeing.

On the negative side, the multiple screens and video feed identifiers does become somewhat distracting as the movie progresses. Another downside is the lack of character development. One key to a good movie is creating characters that are well-defined and that you actually care about.

In this regard the movie fails and falls into the familiar tropes of horror films. Not that any of the characters are particularly unlikeable, but you're not really given a way to identify with any of them.

The plot is also rather sparse, although this isn't necessarily to the film's detriment. Other things I did like were how the story was set up rather efficiently, and the tension which builds up rather well in the last 20 minutes or so.

The audience is only given a glimpse at what the crew ends up finding, and by keeping it more mysterious it never oversells the thrills. If I had to compare it to something else, I would say it's a hybrid between Cloverfield and Prometheus.

Overall, while not particularly unique or original, it is a realistic sci-fi movie that uses tension in an effective way.