Sometimes all you need is Adèle Exarchopoulos as your film’s star and that’s enough to get me seated. One of the best international performers working today, Exarchopoulos’ latest feature “Planet B” is a bit of a mixed bag, delivering an abundance of sci-fi thriller elements you’ve seen before in a slick package that – despite its misgivings- never stops being entertaining.
Sci-fi is one of those genres that is often easy to make but very difficult make well. It falls somewhere in the middle, the kind of experience that at first glance leaves you feeling excited and satisfied but the longer you sit with it the less effective it becomes. More of a “Black Mirror” episode than a film survived on its own merits, “Planet B” borrows heavily from the classic genre tropes to create something familiar with hints of elevation from its strong premise.
Written and directed by Aude Léa Rapin, “Planet B” is a dystopian future sci-fi thriller in which climate change activists are considered terrorist and met with extreme force by the French government. Activist Julia is hit with a flash bomb during a violent protest gone wrong, and wakes up on a mysterious beach front hotel. Unaware of how she got there, she is joined by a number of activists who have also gone missing, and discover that they have been transported to a place called….Planet B. The nature of this place they find themselves in is quickly revealed, and with the help of some unlikely allies not on the planet, discover that the serine views are far more sinister than they ever could’ve imagined and need to work to get off Planet B. The film stars Adèle Exarchopoulos, Souheila Yacoub, India Hair, and Marc Barbé.
There’s enough good intention to be worth the ride, even if its final execution leaves something to be desired. Its core premise has promise, but as more and more gets revealed it all starts to unravel under the slightest bit of scrutiny. It is contrasted by its entertainment value, as well as it sleek production design and set pieces. The dystopian world feels alive, but more alive than the characters we are following and the stories being told about them. “Planet B” continuously provides itself ample opportunities to explore its ideas in less derivative ways, but often chooses the path of least resistance to eventually become lost in the stack of similar genre films. Even its activism and motivations are abandoned relatively quickly after its initial introduction, leaving you wondering what and why each person is doing what they’re doing.
Despite all of this though, sometimes even the most generic of cinema can hit just right and still win you over. It strikes hot in the few moments it goes for things. Exarchopoulos has my whole heart as a performer, and even when she’s stifled by the material (which she kind of is here) she is able to overcome and barrel her way into a compelling performance. The supporting cast too, does the best they can with what they are given, and even when things become a little too familiar, still manage to make most of what is happening compelling even when it lacks originality. “Planet B” will feel right at home on streaming, and while that is normally pejorative, it may actually be a compliment this time around.
Is it the best of its kind? No. Have you seen all of things things before in better projects? Sure. Is “Planet B” a little too generic to be as effective as it wants to be? Ya, I think so. But is it still a lot of fun and entertaining, with solid performances and a few intriguing moments and ideas? Yes, definitely. And for that much, I think “Planet B” is worth checking out.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
“Planet B” premiered at the 81st Venice Film Festival August 29th. It will be released on December 25th in France. You can watch a short clip below.
