There is something refreshing in the decidedly downbeat "Europa Report," a science-fiction film with the emphasis on science that doesn't cheat on the tension.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 22, 2013

Low key and earnest, Sebastin Cordero's "Europa Report" makes compelling use of familiar genre material to create an intelligent science fiction thriller.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 15, 2013

There are scenes of unutterable beauty in Europa Report, a low-budget space exploration sci-fi suspenser from Ecuadorian director Sebastin Cordero.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 9, 2013

What isn't straightforward about the plot is either hackneyed, implausible, or both.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 8, 2013

The idea that life evolved independently on Europa is perfectly plausible-and that makes what would be a fun and exciting film in any case all the more worth watching.

| Aug 8, 2013

I'm not qualified to judge the accuracy of the scientific detail, though the filmmakers convey a genuine respect for hard science instead of the cursory interest shown by most science fiction movies.

| Aug 7, 2013

If this isn't quite a great movie, it should be an immensely gratifying one for sci-fi fans tired of the conceptual overkill and general dumbness of "Prometheus" or "Star Trek Into Darkness."

| Aug 7, 2013

A highly effective documentary-style piece that puts you in the heart of a deep space mission, letting you feel the thrill and then, ultimately, the utter terror.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 2, 2013

Working from Philip Gelatt's script, Cordero keeps things consistent, elegant and streamlined. "Europa Report" actually may be understated to a fault, but that's preferable to gratuitous melodrama.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 2, 2013

The real treat here is the science, not the fiction. The film's sleek aesthetic was developed in consultation with NASA about what such a mission would actually require, and look like as viewed on surveillance cameras.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 2, 2013

This sincerity, coupled with a documentary-style approach, can feel a little dry, but the script's refusal to go to extremes only raises its plausibility.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 1, 2013

"Europa Report" is a Grade A version of a B picture, a streamlined science fiction story that smartly tells a familiar tale without breaking the bank.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 1, 2013

While Europa Report recalls such small-ensemble stuck-in-space flicks as Moon and Sunshine, it's basically The Blair Witch Project relocated to the vicinity of Jupiter.

| Aug 1, 2013

There are genuinely chilling moments in "Europa Report," thanks in no small part to a talented cast that will likely look familiar to viewers, even if the actors' names aren't instantly recognizable.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 1, 2013

A science-fiction saga that strives for realism in not just its science but also its scripting and characters, Europa Report proves a well-executed, thematically intriguing tale of outer space exploration...

| Aug 1, 2013

"Europa Report" goes ploddingly where bolder films have gone before.

| Aug 1, 2013

Finally, a found-footage thriller that merits, and expands on, this irrationally popular format.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 1, 2013

There's something adventurous about dicing a deep-space opus into home-video fragments. Call it one small step for found-footage, and leave it at that.

| Original Score: B- | Aug 1, 2013

We need to reward smart, intellectual sci-fi like this if we want more of it.

| Original Score: 3.5/5.0 | Jul 31, 2013

A welcome addition to the collection, but hardly anything that will send you over the moon.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Jul 30, 2013