Short review: The Astronaut's Wife (1999)

The Astronaut's Wife

IMDB rate: 5,1

Genre: Science-Fiction, Thriller

I'm only writing a short review of this movie since it's not really a horror movie. It's more a science-fiction I think. I've seen the movie earlier and back then I thought it was a reasonable movie, but now I'm watching it again and it's actually quite slow and boring.

A space shuttle in orbit to repair a damaged satellite is forced to return to Earth after NASA loses contact with astronauts Spencer Armacost (Johnny Depp) and Alex Streck (Nick Cassavetes)  for two minutes. Both were outside the spacecraft when the incident occurred. While Armacost seems to be unaffected, Streck has a much harder time recovering from whatever happened to them. Over time, Armacost's wife Jillian (Charlize Theron) begins to note subtle changes in him. Egged on by a former NASA employee, she begins to believe that her husband is something else. She also learns that she is pregnant.

The main characters are played by Charlize Theron and Johnny Depp. The two of them make a beautiful couple, but unfortunately it doesn't feel like there is any chemistry between them. Of course, it's supposed to be that way in the storyline, but even before it all got weird there wasn't any chemistry. At least, that was how I felt it. Of course, they are both great actors and there was nothing wrong with their acting performances. Johnny Depp is my favorite actor and his variety of roles he played still amazes me. Charlize Theron is also an excellent actress. Unfortunately the movie is just not that good which makes their performances hardly noticeable. Also, the story is about Spencer Armacost who suddenly changed a lot since his return from space, according to Jillian, unfortunately, you never get to know him in the first few minutes before he leaves. This makes it a bit difficult to follow since he seems to act normal the first half of the movie, but this is, because you don't know how he was before.

The movie is very slow and there is not very much happening in it. In the very end there is finally a bit of tension but since it's near the end, it's only a short moment. The entire movie is quite boring because you only learn in the end what the big deal is. Also, the ending is quite unsatisfying because you finally hope to get some answers and well, they're not really given.

It's not really worth watching, the movie is very slow and boring. You're waiting for some action that will never come. The actors playing in this movie may suggest that the movie might be worth a watch but it's really a letdown.

My personal rate: 4/10