Cargo (2009) Reviews

• Interesting and mysterious, but somewhat problematic

  Samiam32010-12-14

  Cargo is dazzling, mystifying, sometimes scary, and is able to manipulate a rather familiar plot to seem less familiar. That last one however, is just as much a weakness as it is a strength. The film's problems are not on the screen, but on the pages. Cargo contains a weighty story line, with questionable focus and a lack of coherency. There are also places where the movie feels draggy and repetitive. Characterization gets off the ground but not quite to the degree of emotion that was probably intended. Anyone who sees Cargo is gonna wish they had seen it in theatres. Its greatest achievement is photography. I liked Cargo for its mystique and stylistic choices, but the writing and construction need a tune up. Its facade is perfect but its soul is murky, and its story is disoriented which does not allow us to appreciate Cargo to the full.

• Spectacular • powerful • beautiful • terrifying

  shootingangles2010-12-08

  I'm so glad that I overlooked some of the poor responses posted about this film and rented it. I found it absolutely riveting - and beautiful. The first few minutes recall aspects of the BladeRunner modern cityscape - but on steroids, with the aid of modern day visual effects. The plot is interesting and unfolds nicely keeping your interest and attention. No big stars, no truly stellar performances, but the story line is solid and I was so taken in by it, that I'm going to watch it again tonight, with someone else who's not yet seen it. Some mesmerizing visuals and scenarios. The lighting is particularly strong, creating great ambiance and dramatic effect, without drawing too much attention to itself. This movie is about human frailty, various emotions and connections, about the work we do in order to follow our dreams. It also relates feelings of being small, powerless, and becoming disconnected because of technology - assessing trust in others and in the systems which dominate our lives, searching for 'truth' and authentic experiences... A very unconventional melding of ideas which for me, worked on many different layers. Highly worth a trip for any Sci-Fi lover.

• A really nice indie movie!

  dkatsafouros2010-03-27

  First of all I'm a bit curious about the low rating of the movie here (6,4). This is a great movie raising all sorts of questions to the viewer. Which is what a good movie is supposed to do. Identity, sense of belonging, isolation, and the essence of the human nature are just some of the things the movie touches on. Yeah there are plot points that have been explored before in other movies but seriously who cares? It's how you portray those situations and plot. So I wasn't disappointed there. In fact I wasn't disappointed at all!! A brilliant film that will speak to the audience that loved, "moon". Congrats to all the people involved in this movie. Hope someday it'll be released on Bluray.

• Something Is Missing to Be a Great Sci-Fi

  claudio_carvalho2012-09-08

  In 2270, Earth is completely depleted and no one lives there anymore. Those that have money move to Rhea; but most of the population lives in orbit in space stations. Dr. Laura Portmann (Anna Katharina Schwabroh) decides to work in the cargo ship Kassandra in an eight year travel to Station 42 that is in orbit of RH278 to raise money to meet her sister Arianne (Maria Boettner) in Rhea. They keep in touch with each other, but their messages take three years to reach the other. Laura joins Captain Pierre Lacroix (Pierre Semmler) and his crew composed by the First Officer Anna Lindbergh (Regula Grauwiller); Communication Officer Miyuki Yoshida (Yangzom Brauen) and Igor Prokoff (Claude-Oliver Rudolph) and Claudio Vespucci (Michael Finger). The Sky Marshall Samuel Decker (Martin Rapold) joins the team since the terrorist group Luddites, led by Klaus Bruckner, is bombing the stations. Lacroix organizes shifts of eight and half months for each crew-member while the others rest in cryogenic sleep. Three years and eight months later, Laura finds that there is apparently someone in the cargo compartments and Decker and Lacroix are awakened to investigate the incident with her; however, Lacroix has an accident and dies and the crew is waken up. Further, she finds that Arianne's transmission to her took only twenty minutes. What might be the secret of the cargo transported by Kassandra and where the spaceship is going? "Cargo" is a Swiss sci-fi film with a mysterious and suspenseful story visibly inspired on "Abre los Ojos" (the same way "Matrix" was), in an environment that recalls "Alien". Unfortunately something is missing to be a great sci-fi. I saw this film twice on DVD to fully understand the story and maybe the problem is the excessive information along 112 minutes running time. Maybe "Cargo" could be a little longer to better develop the status quo of Earth, government and Luddites. My vote is seven. Title (Brazil): "Cargo"

• Hard to find fault sci-fi

  Amadio2011-04-02

  Take one part Matrix, one part Event Horizon, add half a measure of Alien, a dash of Solaris and gently stir. Cargo delivers what many sci-fi films fail to deliver these days, and that is real style as well as substance. It's easy to set a 'shoot-em-up' in space or a detective story, but Cargo has so much more. It's moody without being cloying, it's scary without cheap horror tactics, it's thought provoking, it delivers twists and turns, and it is not predictable. It is hard to classify Cargo as it has many elements, and this is what makes it so engrossing. The acting is believable i.e. being in space for a long time leads to quirky behaviour, people will do anything for a better life, and who can you trust? This is absolutely not a Hollyvoid film with predictable characters and lame values. Instead, Cargo delivers a thoughtful and absorbing film that ranks alongside classics such as Solaris (not the Clooney version).