So were there any "intrusions"? Well, a few. Not enough to spoil the movie—I did enjoy it quite a bit—but the enjoyment was briefly interrupted. 1. I wondered about fiery explosions in space. Perhaps this is possible, but it seems as if something would be altered out there, some muffling of sound. As is, the explosions in space seem pretty much how they might happen on earth. 2. Yoda. He may have been an effective character back in the seventies, but his voice and presence wear pretty thin here. And with all his powers, why hasn’t he mastered syntax by now? 3. One of the leaders of a ship keeps her escape plan secret, for no good reason other than to complicate the plot. I did a good job of suppressing this one--because I only vaguely recalled my objection until after the movie, when my daughter brought this up. You see, I was rooting so much that my analytical side was quashed in seconds.
While I enjoyed the movie, I didn’t think about it much afterward. Maybe that’s another criteria for determining the worth of a movie: how long the story stays with you. Here’s an odd question. If the movie didn’t stay with me, how did I even realize that the movie had “left” me? Mainly because a few days ago I saw The Shape of Water, and I’m still thinking about it.
I refuse to offer any particulars about this movie. I hope you see it without a glimpse at a single preview. It is rich and engaging and troubling and joyful. You’ve seen many of the actors elsewhere, even if you can’t name them, and their storylines are fleshed out pretty well. Their characters have contour, shape. Throughout, you feel as if you’re in able hands with director Guillermo del Toro. Not a single intrusion here.