Tense sci-fi thriller is the ultimate R-rated extinction event you missed
Author: Robert Skuch Published
There’s nothing lonelier than the deepest, darkest depths of outer space, especially when you’re on a years-long mission far away from everything you love on Earth. 2019 3022 When astronauts travel to Jupiter’s moon Europa, they learn that Earth has been destroyed, meaning they can never return home, pushing the horror of isolation into new territory. A tense science fiction film that is also a survival thriller, 3022 is a claustrophobic, paranoid existential exercise that captures how this specific situation disrupts the social order and the people scrambling to figure out how to complete the mission knowing they now have a one-way ticket to Europa.
A thoughtful, low-budget work that explores the human condition through the lens of chronic isolation, 3022 This success is due to its strong leadership and their willingness to accept the consequences of what is presented on screen. Painfully yet surprisingly optimistic, 3022 Looking for answers and solutions where there are none, where the journey is much more important than the destination.
A team on the verge of collapse
3022 It revolves around the four crew members of Pangea: captain John Lane (Omar Epps), engineer Jackie Miller (Kate Walsh), doctor Richard Waring (Angus Macfadyen) and crew member Lisa Brown (Miranda Cosgrove). Five years after their mission to Europa 1, Earth’s first space colony, in 2190, Dr. Varin concluded that the crew’s deteriorating mental health would affect the mission and recommended that they abort before reaching the point of no return. As the rest of the crew comes to terms with the fact that their careers are effectively over, a massive shock wave damages their ship and they lose all radio contact with Earth.
Fearing the worst, Dr. Varin suspects there is no Earth to return to, leaving the already exhausted crew in an even worse predicament. They may be unable to complete their mission or return home, eventually running out of oxygen and supplies. The surviving crewmembers have completely lost track of time and live as if forever, but we have no way of knowing how long they were drifting in space without any contact.
On the verge of taking a suicide pill to preemptively end their mission, John and Jackie discover another spaceship in the distance and take in a crew of astronauts from the International Space Station, but they soon put a strain on their already limited resources.
Maybe the opponents are crew members we lost along the way
as simple as 3022 of The story is, I found myself losing interest at times because there was no clear opponent. Sure, some of the crew are becoming increasingly unstable, and the third-act character introductions add a level of drama and suspense to the premise, but there’s no inherent evil at work here. There’s nothing wrong with that, but don’t expect alien overlords or hostile takeovers.
The real collapse is 3022 The crew share a common goal but lack the means or mental stability to achieve it. Jackie is mourning the loss of her family, John is plagued by night terrors and hallucinations, and the rescued crew is looking out for their own best interests, creating tension, but it’s the tension created by this unprecedented situation.
Explore its limitations
Not yet publicly reported but tending to be limited due to its low budget, I was impressed by Pangea’s interior sets and the extensive establishing shots that show how small humans are in the grand scheme of things. The lighting and sound design add to the suspense without making it feel forced, and by their very nature, 3022 conveys the feeling it seeks to evoke: the fear of prolonged isolation.
A compact 90-minute watch that’s good for occasional viewing, 3022 Won’t change your life, but it’s a trustworthy vibe when you want to read science fiction. As of this writing, you can stream the show on Tubi.
