Virtuality

Virtuality

2009 "Reality is only the beginning."
Virtuality
Virtuality

Virtuality

5.7 | 1h27m | en | Drama

Twelve extremely talented men and women have been chosen to be part of the Phaeton mission, a 10-year trek to explore a distant planetary system. In order to endure the stress of being confined to their high-tech vessel, the crew passes the time using advanced virtual reality modules that allow them to take on various identities. But as the ship approaches a critical phase of their journey, a deadly flaw is discovered in the virtual system, forcing them to question if someone onboard might be a killer.

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5.7 | 1h27m | en | Drama , Thriller , Science Fiction | More Info
Released: June. 26,2009 | Released Producted By: Universal Pictures , NBC Studios Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

Twelve extremely talented men and women have been chosen to be part of the Phaeton mission, a 10-year trek to explore a distant planetary system. In order to endure the stress of being confined to their high-tech vessel, the crew passes the time using advanced virtual reality modules that allow them to take on various identities. But as the ship approaches a critical phase of their journey, a deadly flaw is discovered in the virtual system, forcing them to question if someone onboard might be a killer.

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Cast

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau , Kerry Bishé , Joy Bryant

Director

Jon Gary Steele

Producted By

Universal Pictures , NBC Studios

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Reviews

hella_bull Being that this movie has an avg rating of a 6.8, I thought I'd give it a shot. Thank God I didn't pay to see it. It had several flaws that I noticed, but I ignored them to give the movie a chance. Then, without notice, the movie all of a sudden ended! I was like, WTF?? I had to come back on here just to read some reviews to see what the hell the story was. When I found out it was a made for TV movie, and the pilot to a TV series, it made a lot more sense. This movie just leaves you hanging. Many parts of it are totally unbelievable and there is no resolution whatsoever. If there were at least a few episodes after it in which you could pick the story up I may be a little less judgmental. All in all, I could have found something better to do with my time than watch this movie.
igoatabase Considering its very interesting topics saying I anticipated it is an euphemism. Covering virtual reality, space travel and reality television in a single pilot episode was a challenge and I think they successfully achieved it. However even if the few clips I saw convinced me it would be great I was a little worry about the way the writers would deal with reality elements.Their work is both inspiring and very smart because I find reality shows far too dramatic and not real enough. When they began to produce such shows I was hoping to find new tools to better understand the human's psychology but most of them are just empty shells meant to brainwash viewers. Hopefully there're also good productions like Project Runway that blend ideas very nicely. As for the Virtuality reality scenes there were quite many but most of them were short and filmed throughout a lipstick camera. It made them even more realistic, specially considering the female host looked quite superficial at first. But as in real life a coin always has an other side and it was quite emotional to discover it. So even if she looked like a Gossip Girl you should soon appreciate her for what she really is, not just an other pretty face. And in general the characters worked really well and some of them quickly grew on me as the minutes passed by. I already knew Clea DuVall wouldn't disappoint me but I was also gladly surprised by the other performers. My only complain would be the whole Benetton vibe because in some way it made the reality side less authentic but maybe the creators intention was to parody the other shows. It's specially true for the gay couple as sending them into space as a last hope doesn't make any sense. I found it was quite disrespectful towards the homosexual community in general as their members are often used to bring more drama. A good example would be Top Chef last season and its ridiculous "Team Rainbow". But again maybe they just wanted us to believe so. In fact that's what I really enjoyed in Virtuality, its ambivalent complexity.It leads us to the space travel topic. If you appreciate the genre and are a science howl then you'll definitely dig the few outdoor scenes, the ship design, its interior… It should also remind you of your favorite space opera film. So watching it I really felt like I was part of the crew. It's specially true considering there're many characters you can relate too. I also found the story quite inspiring because there's nothing more fascinating than following the daily life of astronauts sent into deep space to save humanity. It brought many great memories like my first battle in the Homeworld video game and of course the astonishing Battlestar Galactica miniseries. And I can reassure you that it has nothing to do with apocalyptic productions like Armageddon, even if I enjoyed it. Here the psychology is probably one of the most important element because the big question is "Will they be able to survive and reach their destination ?".Yes, because it's a lot about survival. Not the Survivor mumbo jumbo but the real and dramatic Robinson Crusoe adventure, like in Cast Away for example. I think the analogy is right because living alone on a desert island can be compared to traveling into space with a few crew members. You'll definitely miss Earth and its beautiful green and blue landscapes. Breathing the air in the morning and energizing yourself before a rising sun. All these tiny details that make you feel alive even when the weather is rainy and the mood even more sad. To solve the problem the writers decided to introduce the virtual reality module, extrapolating the novel's concept. It's supposed to be a key solution to the mission success but of course events didn't occur as expected and the virtual scenes were so disturbing, well directed and written that they actually reminded me of cult films like Event Horizon and The Lawnmower Man. The team behind Virtuality is so talented and has so many twisted ideas that they brought many refreshing and interesting elements to a topic that has already been well covered by others.All these great things made me a fan of the show even if the FOX decided not to pick it up. In fact I don't blame them because I can't imagine the pressure on their shoulders. I even call it the Carnivàle syndrome because both producers and most viewers are not ready for such a smart show. If you're accustomed to such artistic creations you shouldn't be surprised and only enjoy it for what it is, one of the best space pilot ever aired. However if you're not open minded and think Tim Burton and George A. Romero should be held into an asylum then Virtuality is definitely the wake up call you need. Yes because I recommend anyone to watch it, again and again to understand all the messages he has to deliver.
Ion Rau Well, did Fox asked Arthur C. Clark (oh, because is no longer with us, rest in peace!) to make this movie? Because instead of HAL we have a Jean and so on except the story base. And this kind of boring documentary type and journal kind of movie it's not really digestible... The act is interesting, landscape and images are great but, that's it... And who send a bunch of people at those early ages in spaces? With a budget of 200 bill dollars I couldn't send people who swear and fight every time... I thought that a cosmonaut or someone who was sent in this kind of journey is more serious and can deal with own fears and is disciplined and so on... This scenario was write with legs , sort of speak in my country... So, to cut the criticism, the scenario it's very bad, it has a lot of influences from every SF book and movie that guy read and seen and no scientific background. Very bad movie...
Lars Madsen While it isn't the be-all/end-all, I liked it overall. I can't believe though that the comp rating for this is 6.6 when Event Horizon gets a 6.3 and Terminator Salvation gets a 7.1 and Transformers gets a 7.4. Where's the justice in that? Anyway, I'll be interested to see what comes of this as a series. BSG had its moments that stretched into infinity, but overall the series was spectacular, so I'll give these guys enough rope to run with or hang themselves.The infiltrated VR system is a neat hook, the idea of a possible life-after-death in VR land, the problems of whom to believe and trust as cabin fever sets in, this is all fertile ground for plot (and thus character) development. Plus, they took the entire pilot introducing you to a character who dies in the end. Gotta respect a writing team who is willing to invest in a doomed character! True: none of the characters were dazzling, but then, have you ever watched a reality show and given a damn about anyone on it? (If so, please seek help.) A few of them at least have potential; Jensen and his simulated child, for one example.Man up, folks. Whether you like it or not, sci fi is not always about chest-bursting aliens, "moon-based lazers", killer cyborgs (whether they disguise themselves as crappy American cars or not), or spaceships that become possessed by demons. Sometimes its just about how technology affects the way people live and interact with each other.