This Czech sci-fi film is slow and serious with little action but lots of interesting sets and visuals. It's sometimes claimed that it influenced 2001: A Space Odyssey, but though some of the visuals reminded me of 2001, it's not otherwise much like Kubrick's film. Released in the States in 1964, American International dubbed it into English, retitled it VOYAGE TO THE END OF THE UNIVERSE (or ICARUS XB 1), and gave it a twist ending to replace its otherwise fairly bland ending. In the year 2163, Ikarie XB-1, a giant spaceship manned by dozens of people, is sent to Alpha Centauri to explore a "white" planet, one which scientists think could support life as we know it. Their round-trip journey will feel like a couple of years to them but fifteen years will pass on Earth, so many of the passengers are understandably concerned about eventually reuniting with their loved ones. For long stretches, not a lot happens in terms of action or narrative incident, but the 90 minute movie did hold my attention in its presentation of the everyday lives of the passengers: we see them eat, socialize, flirt and even dance. The usual interpersonal conflicts highlighted in space travel movies of the era are present but downplayed. There's even a robot, reminiscent of Robby from FORBIDDEN PLANET. There are two action setpieces which are presented in the same serious, non-exploitative manner of the rest of the film. In the first, a couple of people are sent out to investigate a floating wreck of a ship from the 20th century which contains dead bodies but also unexploded atomic weapons. Near the end, a nearby dark star (what we would think of as a black hole, I guess) affects the behavior of the passengers, causing both deep sleep and, in one man, psychological damage. The ending, though satisfying narratively, is a little anticlimactic, and apparently the English dubbed version, which is about five minutes shorter, makes the ending surprising and a bit ironic. I would like to see the American International cut sometime, but the original (in Czech with English subtitles) is an interesting if low-key sci-fi film. [YouTube]
