The void taken seriously: physics, silence, awe.
his answer to *2001*, and a grief film
the first-contact film everything since answers to
three hours of test pilots, no fat
Cameron underwater, and a shoot that nearly killed the cast
procedural tension, perfectly built
the smartest big-budget sci-fi of the decade
gutted by the studio, resurrected by its cult
the last act goes wrong; the first two are extraordinary
the 3D and performance-capture leap
Abrams doing Spielberg, and doing it well
the technical high point of 3D
the most likeable blockbuster of the decade
first contact, and a film about how language shapes thought
the Moon landing as private grief
sold as an action film; it's a very quiet one
the scale argument for theaters
the rare sequel that improves on the original
Spielberg back on first contact, and back on form
the Andy Weir adaptation, and a critics' pick across the board
