 |
 |
| Directed by Rand Ravich; Starring Charlize Theron, Johnny Depp, Joe Morton, Clea DuVall, Nick Cassavetes, Blair Brown, Donna Murphy, and Tom Noonan |
Sometimes I have awful feelings about films as I walk into them. I take a seat in the auditorium and I already know that what I’m about to see is going to be some of the worst dreck that I’ve seen this year. The last time I had that feeling was before Detroit Rock City, which would turn out as my choice for worst film of the year so far. That same feeling was present as I made way into The Astronaut’s Wife and, though it was better Detroit Rock City, the film was pretty awful.
The Astronaut’s Wife was that normal annual sci-fi film that just tries to be way too surprising. In fact the film was unbelievably familiar of Species II, which had the luck to be my choice for the second worst of 1998 (I believe that this is actually my choice for the second worst of this year so far). Not only is Species II in need of some royalties for this film, but so is Rosemary’s Baby (co-starring John Cassavetes, father of Nick) and Devil’s Advocate (which also featured Charlize Theron). But Ravich does not stop at just stealing ideas from other films, but also his direction. The camera is never idle for longer than ten seconds and every shot tries to be superior to anything that has ever been featured in films. The problem is that each of those shots have been used multitudes of times before.
Jillian Armacost (Theron) is your normal astronaut’s wife, awaiting the return of her husband Spencer (Depp) who should return from space in the near future. But when he comes back, there seems to be a problem: he and his fellow astronaut were near lost in space. at the time that the two were missing it seems that they were taken over by some alien force and more or less replaced. Jillian seems to be the only one that notices this until an ex-NASA employee (Morton) brings her some evidence that may prove her greatest fears to be true, fears that go all the way to the twins that she is carrying in her womb.
Ravich’s kinetic direction is boring and unappealing, actually giving me a headache. One thing that marks this film so much is the fact that there is rarely anytime in the film in which it does not try to be startling. That might work if it was not for the fact that the film never puts the character of Jillian in any danger that might cause people to actually have any fear. I was bored and ready to leave well into the hour mark, and there was another forty-five minutes to sit through. The Astronaut’s Wife is at least better than Species II, not that that is saying anything.
