The Discovery

Netflix | Release Date: March 31, 2017

6.1	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 51 Ratings

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DirigiblePulpMay 20, 2017

A really great premise and superb cast traipse through what ultimately doesn't add up to much either emotionally or intellectually. It's a shame, there really could have been something here but there's little sense of direction outside of itsA really great premise and superb cast traipse through what ultimately doesn't add up to much either emotionally or intellectually. It's a shame, there really could have been something here but there's little sense of direction outside of its few roughly sketched ideas.… Expand

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moviemitch96Apr 5, 2017

The premise and cast looked intriguing enough. However, unfortunately, all this film did was prove to me that director Charlie McDowell is a very mediocre filmmaker in my opinion. What appeared to be a tense and engaging thriller based on theThe premise and cast looked intriguing enough. However, unfortunately, all this film did was prove to me that director Charlie McDowell is a very mediocre filmmaker in my opinion. What appeared to be a tense and engaging thriller based on the trailer simply ended up being a very slow burn that I felt added up to a whole lotta nothin! The talent cast felt like a waste, with the likes of Jason Segel, Rooney Mara, Robert Redford, etc. appearing lost and aimless for a majority of the film, which only makes sense, because their characters had little to no compelling or significant development at all for the entire film. Overall, much like with McDowell's "The One I Love", this left me disappointed and wanting a better film with more developed characters and a better story. None to be found here sadly.… Expand

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KaptenVideoSep 2, 2017

Lookie here: an intelligent sci-fi movie. This means usually that almost everybody in it is downtrodden and serious all the time, the atmosphere is sombre and the story makes attempts to challenge us intellectually. All these boxes have beenLookie here: an intelligent sci-fi movie. This means usually that almost everybody in it is downtrodden and serious all the time, the atmosphere is sombre and the story makes attempts to challenge us intellectually. All these boxes have been checked in „The Discovery“, too.
Son (Jason Segel) accuses father (Robert Redford) for mother’s suicide. Father doesn’t argue, is too busy with searching the truth about afterlife. After he unveiled the proof of its existence, many have just gone and killed themselves, so further studies are in order. Also playing, Rooney Mara, Jesse Plemons, Mary Steenburgen, Riley Keough.
Premiered at Sundance film festival and distributed worldwide by Netflix, „The Discovery“ ain’t bad but as a whole, it’s not especially good either.
I would place the blame on co-writer/director Charlie McDowell succeeds in generating some suspense throughout the movie but has not discovered how to make story somehow interesting also visually, and has only gotten mediocre performances out of most actors involved, especially the three leads.
Jesse Plemons – unknown but with lots of TV experience – is by far the most expressive and memorable actor of the bunch here. Steenburgen, too, is good as always although she has only couple minutes of screen time.
Still, it’s interesting to see Segel of the Apatow bunch taking on a rare serious part. And it’s always nice to meet Redford again whose better days as an actor ended with the 20th century.
The screen legend is 81 already, and has lost most of his facial expressiveness by now, so his performance is suitably creepy considering his role and the dark atmosphere of the movie.
Movies like this tend to receive more favorable critics’ reaction when they’re all indie and/or made in Spain or something (at least outside the US).
Thus the score is low in both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic: 55/100 and 45/100, respectively. The IMDb users have been reacting better, the score is 6.3/10 which seems more adequate to me.
A fun fact: Mara is co-writer/director McDowell's girlfriend and Steenburgen is his mother.… Expand

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JamedrisApr 17, 2019

I really, really wanted to like this movie better because the idea of confirming afterlife and its' consequences is really appealing to me, but it definitely could be done better. It truly is a complex movie with mesmerizing concept that getI really, really wanted to like this movie better because the idea of confirming afterlife and its' consequences is really appealing to me, but it definitely could be done better. It truly is a complex movie with mesmerizing concept that get you thinking about it, even after seeing the last scene, but I think this movie lost it's direction in the second part, like directors were not sure how to do the plot. I was expecting something more from a sci-fi movie claiming to be an "intelligent adventure" related with science, afterall.… Expand

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geewahJan 6, 2021

The foundation of this movie is solid, but the script isn't that strong and does waste the talents of it's cast.

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