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Approaching the Unknown

Play trailer 2:26 Poster for Approaching the Unknown R 2016 1h 30m Sci-Fi Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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47% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 16% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
An American astronaut (Mark Strong) tests his will, sanity and endurance while embarking on a one-way, solo mission to Mars.
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Approaching the Unknown

Critics Reviews

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Ethan Sacks New York Daily News 06/03/2016
2.5/5
It falls on the velvety-voiced Strong himself, much like his character, to salvage the mission and plow through the overly philosophical dialogue. Go to Full Review
Glenn Kenny RogerEbert.com 06/03/2016
2.5/4
It remains cool, competent, engaging within a narrow realm ... but its unknown realm never explodes into anything remarkable. Go to Full Review
Ben Kenigsberg New York Times 06/02/2016
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. Go to Full Review
Stephen Mayne Under the Radar 06/29/2016
5/10
When shooting for otherworldly transcendence, solid rather than spectacular is not enough. Go to Full Review
Todd Jorgenson Cinemalogue 06/17/2016
While the concept yields some moderate claustrophobic tension, it doesn't offer an outlet for the protagonist to provide an emotional hook. Go to Full Review
MaryAnn Johanson Flick Filosopher 06/07/2016
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. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Alex D Oct 27 This movie was made for people who want to believe that with a little bit of duct tape and JB weld they can make history all by themselves. You send cowboys when the only cost of failure is their lives. When you spend the resources for a Mars mission you screen out the people like this guy (and the other two falling apart on the space station). And the "science" and "engineering" is about as solid as zombies... should have just had zombies. See more Rick M 03/06/2024 The thing had potential. It tried to be profound, and had some profound moments, but really missed the mark, and turned into one of the most boring movies I have ever seen. See more 12/29/2021 Not a bad concept. A little too philosophically self-important in tone at points, but it also explains itself (and that ultimate motivation) clearly and well. Suffers a little bit in comparison with the excellent and similarly low-budget "Europa Report". See more 03/06/2021 Personally, an amazing movie, great quotes, reflection, and not that far from reality See more 07/08/2020 Low-budget film that, however, covers many of its shortcomings with a voluntary work by Mark Strong and a script, which despite having the same shortcomings as the budget, more or less maintains the type until the end. See more michael e 03/24/2020 Plodding but genuine, sometimes confusing, likable. See more Read all reviews
Approaching the Unknown

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Movie Info

Synopsis An American astronaut (Mark Strong) tests his will, sanity and endurance while embarking on a one-way, solo mission to Mars.
Director
Mark Elijah Rosenberg
Producer
Jason Michael Berman, P. Jennifer Dana, Thomas B. Fore, Matthew Parker, Josh Penn, Mark Roberts
Screenwriter
Mark Elijah Rosenberg
Distributor
Vertical Entertainment
Production Co
3311 Productions
Rating
R (Language)
Genre
Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 3, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 3, 2016
Runtime
1h 30m
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