Supernova

Directed by Thomas Lee, Supernova follows the crew of a futuristic medical ship, which includes James Spader’s Nick, Angela Bassett’s Kaela, and Robin Tunney’s Danika, as they find themselves under attack after answering a distress call. It’s a familiar yet promising setup that’s employed to predominantly underwhelming effect by Lee, as the filmmaker, armed with David C. Wilson’s screenplay, delivers a perpetually hit-and-miss endeavor that fares especially poorly within its disjointed and exposition-free opening stretch – with the picture launching directly into its narrative with little in the way of world building or character development. There is, as such, little doubt that Supernova fares rather poorly as it progresses into a midsection that lurches gracelessly from one ill-conceived sequence to the next, and although the impressive set design and raft of appealing performances sustain one’s interest (albeit just barely), the picture doesn’t adopt a watchable feel until it arrives at a final third devoted to the crew’s efforts at surviving a psychotic villain’s relentless advances (ie the film essentially transforms into a slasher set in space). The inclusion of a few unexpectedly gripping sequences (eg a crew member begs the ship’s computer to help save their life) paves the way for a comparatively enthralling climactic stretch that ensures Supernova ends a whole lot better than it begins, with the final result a woefully erratic thriller that squanders a solid premise that could (and should) have resulted in a top-notch sci-fi endeavor.

** out of ****