2036 Origin Unknown

 

2036 Origin Unknown is free to watch on YouTube.

I'm the kind of person who will watch almost any science fiction, and I sometimes enjoy films that don't have broad appeal. So even though this film has only a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I was willing to give it a chance. Sometimes I've been pleasantly surprised.

I have complained repeatedly that low-budget science fiction films often have only one good idea, which they have to stretch out to fill a feature-length movie. By contrast, really good science fiction movies have many good ideas.

The low budget of 2036 Origin Unknown is painfully obvious. It comes across like a decent episode of The Outer Limits. A single person acts as the controller for a Mars rover mission, when this would normally be handled by dozens of people. The reason Katee Sackhoff is in this movie is that her Battlestar Galactica fame gives the film some credibility. She does a good job of carrying the weight of the movie.

The interesting twist is that an AI is largely in charge. The central theme is that AI is becoming our master and that artificial intelligence is not like human intelligence but more like an alien intelligence.

What starts as a good science fiction premise fails to stick the landing, which is probably why the reviews are mostly negative. The ending escalates the stakes to a ridiculous level that doesn't feel logical. There is a twist that goes too far, followed by an ending reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Many scenes reminded me of other, better science fiction movies. Nevertheless, there are some good original moments, so the film is worth the price of admission. 😀

Rating: B-