Approaching the Unknown
Vertical Entertainment | Release Date: June 3, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
7
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Village VoiceSherilyn ConnellyJun 1, 2016
Approaching the Unknown is the best science fiction movie since Gravity, and certainly the most melancholy since Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 Solaris. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinJun 2, 2016
Under the steady hand of writer-director Mark Elijah Rosenberg, tension and pathos build, slowly sweeping us along with the captain’s fraught yet hopeful exploration. Read full review
67
The Film StageJared MobarakJun 1, 2016
Credit Rosenberg for keeping things ambiguous because it does make the film more interesting. Without this lingering sense of potential artifice, Approaching the Unknown becomes a slow-moving descent into acceptance — not quite a riveting plot with the suspenseful intrigue a descent into madness brings. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyJun 3, 2016
It is well-intentioned, conscientious and competent in its filmmaking craft. Read full review
60
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergJun 2, 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. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJun 2, 2016
Writer and director Mark Elijah Rosenberg paces things patiently, which in some cases is a polite way of saying there are boring stretches. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsEthan SacksJun 8, 2016
Approaching the Unknown would be more of a solid premise if it were not touching down so close to last year's "The Martian," with its similar themes, bigger effects budget and superior script. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyJun 1, 2016
Too high-minded to ever stoop to suspense or fun, Approaching The Unknown is almost completely interiorized, unspooling in voice-over narration that sounds like a writing exercise that got out of control. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreMay 16, 2016
If you want another lesson about why we should be going to Mars and what we’ll encounter and maybe find out about ourselves, “Unknown” will do until we have an actual liftoff. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyJun 2, 2016
The film doesn’t seem particularly interested in grappling with any of those issues beyond the most superficial level. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckJun 4, 2016
Sluggishly paced and featuring lengthy voice-over narration by Strong in which his character ponders his role in the universe like a graduate philosophy student, the film never achieves liftoff. Read full review
38
New York PostSara StewartJun 2, 2016
Unfortunately, his machine fails en route; way more unfortunately, he comes up very short compared to Mark Watney, the red planet-stranded astronaut played with such humor and energy by Matt Damon in last year’s “The Martian.” Read full review
38
Slant MagazineSteven WrightMay 30, 2016
The film fails to lay down the character foundation that might have elevated the third-act histrionics. Read full review
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