The Last Push (2012) User Reviews

A good effort

[rachaelov · 5/10 · 9 January 2014]

Visually, the special effects, the set itself, and overall film quality was pretty good on what I assume was probably quite a small budget.

In terms of physics I was far less convinced. The finale was wholly unconvincing and impossible, and it was amusing that the diagrams of the trajectory of slingshots were really passbys that would have added little momentum; and then the pointless burn; and that the sun seemed to be completely absent in any calculations or diagrams! Well, you can suspend disbelief, so it wasn't too much of a distraction.

However the writing about the state of mind of the astronaut wasn't very convincing at all, and neither were his decisions at the end of the film. Physically in terms of his body, his hair, his clothes there were no changes or deterioration over what we're to believe is three years. Psychologically there wasn't much in the way of change either. In short I didn't believe this man spent three years in a tiny tin can.

In the end I'd say this is a wholly worthy effort - it isn't dreadful or anything, and I didn't burst out laughing or shout at the screen. But in the end I was unconvinced, and insight into the human condition seems lacking. But I'll be interested to see what he does next.

In space no one can hear you sigh

[shakercoola · 5/10 · 5 May 2021]

An American sci-fi adventure. A story about an astronaut who has to make a three-year journey home to Earth, cutting short the first manned mission to explore the moons of Jupiter. This is a low-budget film with an interesting premise about solitude which offers a modicum of intrigue. It foregoes special effects and aims to create the sense of isolation and boredom and mental wellbeing of an astronaut on a deep space mission. To a degree it succeeds, but it dwells on the boredom of the astronaut so much that there are too many blank frames and scenes which feel like overkill. Indeed, it is in the moments that feel like inaction that the inaccuracies and inconsistencies with the space capsule design and the conditions of habitation to the more discerning eye are highlighted. The astronaut characters were not convincing as suitable personalities for deep space endurance; showing contrast between the two personalities was not done with much subtlety. Similarly, some of the ground staff were at odds with the professionalism we know of highly technical aeronautical flight direction staff. The film ends with a weak excuse for a plot twist which may be unsatisfying for some. Though it is thought-provoking, it leaves some unanswered questions. Khary Payton does a reasonably good job of portraying a man near breaking point. There is a spectacular scene showing Venus's atmosphere. The film's sound effects and music add a lot to the story's mood and tone.

Barely worth the effort

[Tonyfd · 4/10 · 24 September 2014]

Watch this only if you have 90 minutes to kill, and nothing better to do than watch a free Amazon Prime movie. That alone should be a warning to you.

It's a fair attempt on an oft repeated theme, but the plot is so full of holes that you really don't want to think about it too hard.

After about 1/2 hour boredom set in and I found myself counting down to whatever 'surprise' conclusion was in store.

I liked the 1201 & 1202 alarms at the beginning (you have to watch closely) - a nice tribute to Apollo 11.

Otherwise it's very forgettable.

Good premise, but far too many failings

[vipcorp-954-708527 · 2/10 · 22 March 2014]

Had a bad feeling from the start. The main character came across as the last person anyone would select for a long term mission. He seemed to lack enthusiasm for what should have been the adventure of a lifetime. In fact, he seemed to lack any emotion at all.

I guess they were showing a contrast in the personalities of the astronauts to suggest that they would be a complimentary pair. There is something to be said for that, however, there is a limit to that reasoning and I felt sorry for the other guy who would have no one to laugh with on the whole trip. Death was a blessing.

The main character was so unlikeable, it was difficult to empathize with him in his plight. I did not see change in him as he went through his ordeal since he seemed just as miserable on day one.

His inability to deal with the death of his friend to the point of not being able to return to the hibernation module when it was optimal for the mission again showed just what a poor candidate he was for such a trip. Any decent selection process would have kept him on the ground.

The schematics for the gravity assist trajectories were all wrong and for a movie with no special effects, this surely could have, and should have, been presented properly. There were a few other gaffs too that should have been corrected.

When he repairs the hole from the micro-meteorite, he only repairs one hole. I think it is likely that there would have been an entry and an exit hole.

In a rotating artificial gravity environment, trajectories are skewed. Ping pong balls would be nearly impossible to hit unless the ring was at least double the size. (Minor error - very nitpicky.)

When the ship loses power, he gets cold. In the vacuum of space, the problem is usually dissipating heat generated by the body, the equipment and from the sun's radiation on the hull. I could be mistaken, but he should have been too hot. He probably would have been choking on carbon dioxide too, because it seemed that he lost all power.

On such a long journey, wouldn't there be some redundancy or a back up system? In the beginning, they made a point of saying it was a rushed and perhaps under-budgeted venture, but is strains credibility that anyone would send such a small crew and small ship on a journey like this. The chances of failure would be far too great. No matter how important the trip is to Mr. Moffitt, what's the point if it's going to fail? They had such a nifty ship, with a two-in-one descent module/inflatable ground habitat no less, and one would think the trip would have been better planned for success.

Why can't he turn the monitor or comms off? Pretty simple to have a switch and probably necessary in case of fire or repair. All electrical systems should have an off switch, if only to save power or wear.

Light from the sun takes only 8 minutes to reach Earth. Even if his ship was almost on the opposite side of the sun, communication could only have a 16 minute delay each way. 32 minutes between exchanges might make it difficult, but on such a long exile, there would be no reason for him to be so alone. He could even have multiple conversations at a time, listening to and then responding to five people in a row, and this would keep him occupied and sane. But then, he was not much of a conversationalist. Where was his family? Friends? Could have added some interest and made me feel for him more.

To me, he was more than merely resigned to his fate, he actually seemed to be making an effort to be as lonely and miserable as possible. I am not talking about him not wanting to watch the videos - that I understand - just his overall attitude. He didn't even try.

I was confused about him "seeing" Venus. I finally realized that he simply donned the suit and pretended, but why didn't he do a quick EVA?

For someone who learned to appreciate life again, I really don't see how he could choose to continue the mission. If it took three years just to get back to Earth, it surely would have taken two or three times that (at best) to travel the much larger, incredibly vast distance to Jupiter. I'm not going to bother looking it up, but it is much further than a round trip through the inner solar system and would have taken far longer regardless of the gravity assisted speed. He would certainly go mad on that trip and communication would take hours.

And even with the premise of reconstituting feces for food, the astronauts were supposed to be in some kind of hibernation and there is no way he would have enough food, water and oxygen for a fully awake journey. I also did not understand why the condition of the reentry vehicle mattered. Surely a Soyuz could have been sent up to retrieve him. They had three years.

Now that I have completely bashed this film, I will say that the premise was good and it is always nice to see a low budget film that skips the special effects and tries to present something real that has meaning. The film did convey the sense of isolation and boredom very well.

Mostly, I am disappointed that it failed on so many little details that would have cost nothing to correct. Its biggest failing, however, is the lack of any visible change in the character's appearance and in his mental state. I blame it on the script and direction more than the actor.

Finally, An Honest Sci-Fi Movie

[dafttar · 7/10 · 28 September 2013]

I don't want to put down the Star Trek genre, and anyone who is honest doesn't consider Star Wars true science fiction.

However, I want to say that it is truly wonderful to come across a movie like this that shows that "Sci-Fi" is not code for "Space Horror".

This movie is truly what science fiction should be. And exploration of the human condition in extraordinary circumstances of advanced technology.

Some may find this movie slow, but I thought it was beautiful. It is an excellent study of the human being in extraordinary circumstances, and one who retains his humanity. Movies like this are rare gems. It was a pleasure to see it and think about it. If you truly love real science fiction, then this is the movie for you.

Space: The Tedious Frontier

[jet66 · 4/10 · 13 April 2014]

Here's another movie you've seen before - if you're old enough to remember every iteration of the Robinson Crusoe mythology, or went to a high school film class. From Mr. Robinson Crusoe to Cast Away, and Robinson Crusoe on Mars, as well as 2001 and Silent Running, this story has been told many times before.

The plot? In a nutshell, isolated astronaut goes nuts. On the plus side, Khary Payton does an acceptable job of on-camera work. On the other hand, his voice-overs could use work. In the end, it's an OK movie for a hangover, since it's intellectually and emotionally undemanding. On the other hand, you could turn the channel to a bass fishing show.

So many good things should not make such a bad movie.

[face-819-933726 · 6/10 · 4 November 2013]

Nice one man play in the form of a movie with background supporting characters. No really this as a good movie though, it just feels like it was made as a test film to send around to the studios to try and get some real money. Great story that should grab you nicely in the first few minutes, and at least keep you on board for quite a while. The movie does suffer in the lack of any real action or suspense, but there is some really good acting, and the special effects are good for the budget they had to work with.(I can say better than you would see last decade, just not enough of it) Might touch your heart a bit, but then they will put a stop to that don't you worry. I liked seeing Brian Baumgartner not playing a buffoon, but a much more rounded character who gets to show many sides. This movie has been getting a bunch of hype, but I just don't think it is quite there. Some nice surprises, and new stories for a movie, but not enough effort to put the whole thing together, and a slow uninteresting decent into madness for too much of the main story, but then just not without more than a badly produced video from earth. Enjoy if you wanna get spaced out.

Gets across the boredom of space travel and then some

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 8 August 2015]

ASTRONAUT: THE LAST PUSH is a semi-realistic science fiction drama about an astronaut who, after an accident, is left alone in space to make a three year journey back to Earth in real time. The viewer is given access to his mind and mental wellbeing through a series of voice overs and video logs as he receives messages from well-wishers and his superiors back on Earth...

Story isn't the strong point of this film, but it does get across the boredom of space travel because ASRONAUT: THE LAST PUSH is a very boring film. Very little happens in terms of plotting and some pretty CGI visuals of spaceships and the like aren't going to distract us from the obvious flaws and limitations of the budget.

The only thing this has going for it is the acting of Khary Payton, who plays the main astronaut. He underplays it for the most part and does a pretty good job as a man just bored of his whole existence. Things only get dramatic in the last stages, but it's a long, long journey until then and a couple of tacked-on scenes of Lance Henriksen sitting in front of a green screen don't really help.

Hard to watch ... and harder to know if one should bother

[jrarichards · 6/10 · 3 November 2016]

With the best will in the world (or beyond it), a film about a mission to see newly-discovered whale-like life forms on Europa that sees most of the hope for that mission (or at least for we the audience to witness it) dashed a few minutes in from the start is always going to have a lot of work to do to keep its viewers' interest! Surely, taking this approach is just (rashly and even needlessly) setting oneself up for a fall? Yet the problem here is compounded by the fact that the accident responsible for the above situation ensures that we the audience see an astronaut played by a not-very-well-known actor (Khary Payton) in dreary, cramped, featureless spaceship surroundings for minute after minute of our time, and month after month of his.

Clearly, under those circumstances (and leaving out alien visitations or further disasters), we fall back on the psychological and philosophical aspects of a man in an awfully confined and lonely environment, and this is indeed what Eric Hayden (who directed and wrote) seeks to achieve.

By a quirk of science and navigation, our hero is actually heading back to Earth as we see him, so exchanges of messages that initially take forever to get answered gradually come to look more and more like normal conversations, so in this sense the thing looks authentic.

But do we need authentic? Indeed, can we stand authentic, when we out here in audience-land are not selected and trained for that as astronauts must be?

The film is further authentic in reminding us that: 1) space is gargantuan, and even our own solar system is pretty darn big; 2) hostile as they may be, our fellow planets are things of immense beauty that one day we will want to see for ourselves; and 3) spacecraft in space are very dangerous places for human beings to be (for all those moments when they are not being deathly boring). These are indeed messages worthwhile and true, but familiar enough from other (more exciting) films (not least the amazing "Gravity") - as well as from real life - to imply that "The Last Push" needs to give us more than this, if it is to succeed.

By and large, it does not do so, even if the ending offers at least a touch of pithily ironic drama.

In truth, this film does at the outset flirt with other, real-life matters - like space exploration becoming a private-sector issue, with all the implications that has; and the question of manned flights versus a never-ending set of cheaper and less-demanding probes and robot missions. However, it fails to take a very strong stance even there.

And, as I noted in my review of "The Martian" - a film asking somewhat similar questions and telling a somewhat similar (if more gripping and better-executed) story, thus far no human beings have gone further from Earth than the Apollo 13 guys, who set the record of (a mere) 400,000 kilometres in ... 1970. We are thus so far from Star Trek here that it's beginning to look embarrassing. But then, robots do it better, don't they? (Well except for Beagle 2 and now Schiaparelli, anyway).

Ultimately, "The Last Push" requires a last push from its audience, if they are to persuade themselves to stick with its 85 minutes. That seems like a long time in this context, though it would be wrong to say it is time entirely wasted. There is an insight here into the boring, lonely, claustrophobic, at-moments life-or-death profession that is "Astronaut", as well as into the very specific questions that exploring our solar system pose for the countless millions of us who would probably like it to proceed apace, and the few tens of us that might be involved directly should that popular will actually be acted upon.

"The Last Push" does show us how a few represent very many in this very particular way, but other films would also seem to have done this, and more persuasively and with greater drama than we have on offer here.

Astro nought

[frukuk · 1/10 · 3 September 2019]

One small (cryo-)sleep for a man, one giant yawn for mankind.

Drab, boring, depressing and completely pointless. It barely had anything to do with space flight/exploration; it might as well have been set in a prison, where a long-serving inmate very laboriously comes to an insignificant conclusion.

Just say no to this turkey.

Had to write a review because comments

[johnmanno-77961 · 8/10 · 8 November 2021]

No. This film does not suck. It. Does. Not. Suck. Trust me. It's thoughtful, well acted, well written. And if you think it's boring, I implore you to never ever watch any Godard film, and to unfriend anyone who asks you to see one. Like "Alphaville".

That being said, no. This film isn't genius, or "2001", or even "Forbidden Planet". It's not a classic. It's introspective, yes, but it's not "deep" (I reserve that for something like Dostoevsky, which this isn't). But that's okay. Minor art is still art.

And I'm sorry, to all those who said that the ending is "illogical": You're wrong. Dead wrong. Given the main character's thoughts, it fits perfectly into what was foreshadowed in the plot.

Finally, ANY movie that includes T. S. Elliot in an important scene in an intelligent way is one that at least deserves a look.

Honestly, I don't understand why people who like the typical Hollywood film, or the typical Sundance film, or even the typical Cannes film (these days) bother watching movies like this and insisting on writing negative reviews. Obviously, movies such as this one won't appeal to their esthetic, or even their idea of what "narrative" means. And by doing so, they unfairly distort the perception of the film, discounting or ignoring its potential merits.

Long way home

[gpeltz · 6/10 · 4 June 2017]

Here we have Astronaut; The Last Push, (2012) Directed by Eric Hayden who also wrote it. It runs 85 long minutes and covers a three year period. Spoiler Alerts I will be talking about this film.

First of all, Thanks for the terrific quality, Superb. What we have here is basically a one man show. The man being Astronaut Michael Forrest played by Khary Payton. His partner dies early, and shows up in flashbacks. Now he gets to talk to Mission Control's Bob Jenson, played. by Brian Baumgartner. The mission is to Europa, to visit Seaworld. However when things go south, it is a journey to get back to the Earth, from Venus. They were going to use Venus as a sling shot to gain speed to get to Jupiter. OK, maybe. What it turns into, is an exercise in isolation and tedium. Three years to get from Venus back to Earth, as the mission is aborted. The following year (2013) the movie Europa Report was released, It had a better ship, and a bigger crew, and ultimately was a better movie.

This movie deals with the effects of Isolation, You have to give Khary Payton credit for giving us someone interesting to look at, almost full time. He reminds me of Obama in looks, his mood is almost perpetually dour, but living in cramped quarters, with little to do but mend the ship, and survive and go through isolation hallucinations to maintain our interest. A tall order.

Repeated shots of exercise, sleeping, eating, and pooping are the framework this story is hung upon. The technical failures, each one life threatening, must be tended to, The claustrophobia is oppressive, There is not even a window to look out of.

The effects are good. Only when the ship is within arms length of Venus, does a sense of wonder display itself. The music. simplistic and repetitive complements the dreary hours that make up a three year journey. Only swelling from the bland four note format, to a grander tonality as the views of Venus are revealed.

Taking a final cue from movies such as the 1936 Things to Come, The movie strives for the Heroic note to end upon. Concerning mankind's drive to the stars, "For man, no rest and no ending..." We watch as the Astronaut virtually takes on a suicide turn to resume the aborted mission. He did not have to. I give this one Six out of Ten "Miles to go before I sleep" Stars.

Good Try, No Cigar - The Last Push

[arthur_tafero · 3/10 · 17 November 2018]

This is a low-budget sci-fi film that tries to play with the big boys and falls short. The story about an aborted space exploration of a moon of Jupiter is an interesting premise, but what we really get is a pretty boring mess. The lead actor tries to take a leaden script and bring it to life; but it is dead on arrival. There is little tension in the film, and the ideas you can come up with for filming in one room for over an hour are quite limited. Outside of the first ten minutes, there is no action. The "surprise" ending is idiotic. To be viewed only by the most addicted space film addicts.

Bored, dump and cheap, cheap, cheap..

[gwenmollo · 2/10 · 20 February 2016]

I like this kind of movie, even those with low budget, they are often good ideas, and the acting, if is good, make you forget the money. I've seen a lot of Space movies, in fact i think almost all to 60's to now. Here we've got a film with no budget. You can see it in EVERY scene. Except for the exteriors, made in CGI. We have here one and only one room, or you can see it's fake, with ordinary light (just add some science-fiction sound effects). In "MOON" there one set of room, but it was far better used. They even use some Sparklers light in one (bad) shaky scene... The camera man fast move the camera, in one the worst 'tragic' scene i've ever seen.. It's was bad...

The actor has one expression, and only one. he is not bad, but not good too.The scenario is the usual, nothing new, pale copy of many film. With a unnecessary ending. Here, there is no problem of food, water, oxygen, Dumb, very dumb.

So, this is not a correct movie, all is lazy here, the actor, the scenario, the decor. The film have no budget, you can see every minutes, no budget and no ideas, and, i'm sorry, no talent. It's flat, boring like i rarely seen in sci-fi movie. Cheap,cheap cheap, don't see it !!

Definitely worth a watch

[kevjfarrell · 7/10 · 6 August 2015]

This will only really have appeal to fans of the sci-fi genre. And for those people, it has something worthwhile to offer.

There are times that the movie lacks pace and interest, but that's a hard one to get right with this storyline and its confines. The director did the best he could.

The scenario is very realistic and there's plenty of food for thought for those of us who want it.

Personally I love anything to do with space and exploration whether real or fiction. With fiction it should be done intelligently - as this is. If you're not a fan of sci-fi, then I doubt it will have any interest for you. Despite a few minor faults, I liked it and found it interesting.

What A Way To Waste 84 min.*

[whitezombie-43417 · 1/10 · 5 July 2015]

Simply put this movie is boring. Nothing interesting happens and don't expect it to happen. What you see in the first 20 or 30 minutes of the movie is essentially all you are going to see. I wouldn't bother watching this film ever again nor should you. Don't bother.

Anyways, to summarize his film for those that want to know. A problem happens on a Space ship while traveling to Venus to slingshot to Europa (one of Jupiter's moons). This source of this problem is never fully explained.

One guy dies and the other guy is left alone to live in the Space ship for 3 years on his own recycled flavored poop. He decides to abort going back to Earth and the movie ends.

Not even close to being Real Science

[dncorp · 29 October 2020]

Ever since the NASA Cooperation with the making of 1968 Movie 2001: A Space Odyssey based on Scientist Arthur C. Clarke's 1951 story "The Sentinel", the advanced (even now 2020) NASA science required to get to Jupiter and return to Earth became common knowledge.

A self learning Artificial Intelligence Computer, to decrease the numbers of crew, and decrease the required Resources of a large crew. Mandatory inclusion of Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics"

Primary, Secondary, Tertiary aerospace, Propulsion and avionics, are and have been a NASA minimum requirement.

Hibernation to minimize the resources (oxygen, water, food, electricity, waste disposal and recycling) required.

Nuclear Impulse engines, to attain near light speed, without having to have lots of fuel, as huge spacecraft fuel tanks, that would make the construction costs too expensive for anybody any Nation. 1982 Novel 2010: Odyssey Two as 1984 Movie 2010: The Year We Make Contact has a Multi National Funded spacecraft going to find out what happened to the U.S.S. (United States Spacecraft) Discovery One and Crew in orbit Jupiter.

Artificial Man Made Gravity. The requirement not as depicted, as that design is only for a shorter distance and time of flight Earth To Mars Spacecraft. Not enough space for Resources, and radiation shielding for that amount of time.

In Space In A Space And Wondering About The Sounds from Space

[mikevonbach · 7/10 · 20 December 2013]

Hey anyone that goes up in a ship today is taking a chance.You must put your trust in hundreds of other people.The building of the craft the mission planners,the ground tech's.Understand this the first-week you go up everyone is excited but what happens after your novelty wears off.You may as well be another piece of floating space junk.On a 3 year mission I would try to come home a hero but honestly Who can tell us what happens to brain function after 12 months.Its a film that allows you to look at yourself and ask the Question I'm i strong enough to overcome simply being alone.We all know that in our nations prison system being alone is the Ultra punishment.Imagine grown up adults afraid to be alone......What are we cowards.

Dull but had potential

[kennardsam · 2/10 · 4 November 2018]

The first 45 was just the same thing happening over and over. The camera shots were amateur and the editing was sloppy

Good until...

[socrfan-80182 · 7/10 · 29 November 2020]

I really enjoyed this movie until the completely disappointing and illogical ending. The writer(s) blew it.

waste of time

[mohamedsherifnabil · 1/10 · 13 January 2018]

Worst movie ever........................... Worst movie ever........................... Worst movie ever...........................

What a nice surprise!

[trans_mauro · 8/10 · 3 November 2013]

No megazillion budget. No zombies. No stupid romantic couples. No bathroom jokes. No unbelievable monsters, situations, technologies. No ultra stars. No social commentary.

No problem!

And still this is pretty darn good film.

OK, it is a retelling of Robinson Crusoe and deals with human loneliness and the price we as humans have to pay for exploration, but it was a well made film, with a good actor and a character one roots for and wishes a g and save trip home.

Probably it will appeal mostly to science fiction fans, but I would recommend it.

The Cheapest 1 Room Drama Play, Sci-Fi Crap Ever

[shuswap-83557 · 1/10 · 13 July 2023]

Perhaps the most boring low budget Sci-Fi trek film ever. Basically nothing happens here. A couple of guys sitting in a room talking to themselves or having a poop. You actually are forced to edure this nonsense for 90 minutes. No story. No action. No special effects. Be fascinated watching an astronaut brush his teeth. Be amazed at an astronaut discussing how he poops in space on a zero gravity toilet. You can literally go mad watching the mundane tedium that is this mess made with a 500 dollar budget. You can fast firward this film and it still feels like it's in slow motion. God this is painful. But I digress. Avoid this garbage.

Do NOT waste your time watching this carbage!

[jepulix-10532 · 1/10 · 21 May 2022]

Why? Because, nearly everything is wrong! Physics, script, directed poorly, actors are poor (partly because of the poor direction). There is not much else to tell you. I can only wonder what kind of people would like this miserably poor film.. Over and out.

Realistic sci-fi exploring space in physical, mental and collective levels

[jani-756-425766 · 9/10 · 17 January 2017]

Not for everyone and not for every occasion. If you're looking for action, save this for later. If you want to see a realistic take on space exploration and its mental implications, it's time to watch this.

Realism is the keyword for this film. It doesn't try to convince the viewers with effects or stunts but rather in the way that you could for a brief while really feel you're in space. The director, Eric Hayden's father has been working on the Galileo probe that went to Jupiter which probably had its contribution to this film's script. The whole design of the ship and the mission is very realistic and it'd be quite close to the actual way we would go to Europa if we ever would.

Without going into spoilers, there is another level going on in the film. More human. Again the characters are realistic and they act like a well trained astronauts would. But as the events unfold, the mental evolution of the main character becomes analogous with the craft's journey both in space and fate.

There's a hint of third level on the movie which probably means I have to watch this movie again. It's not just the craft or the man inside who's making the journey but us, as human beings collectively.