Proof that you can't make a good film with a bad script So much care has gone into the cinematography, design, special effects, casting and acting. One would expect that this should be a success. The reason it isn't is largely down to a terrible working of an original novel into a very weak and unfocused script. It has more holes than any Blackhole theory. It is slow and bleak yet at the same time obvious twists and strangely empty resolution. I really could not wait for the end. That's ironic because the end is largely what it's about.
Whilst the set design and effects are superb the science is way off. Even the average person knows one can't survive being submerged in artic waters and then walk around with wet clothes and open face. The sling shot back to Jupiter's moon is total nonsense. As indeed is the notion that humans could colonise any of Jupiter's moons. The flaw is the script, it's a mess, all over the place.
The human story is deeply depressing, compared to Interstellar which is more accurate scientifically and far more uplifting. I have great admiration for George Clooney but this is not his finest hour.