400 Days tells the story of an experiment. Four people are put into a simulation of a trip to Mars, and they're to spend the next four hundred days underground with no contact with the outside world, occasionally dealing with simulated crisis all in the name of gathering data about what it would actually be like to spend so much time in space. Complicating the situation is the fact that the mission's captain Theo (Brandon Routh) has just had his heart broken by the ship's doctor, Emily (Caity Lotz). Hurt feelings linger between them as the general stress rises in the ship, the crewmembers starting to go a little crazy from the isolation.
Other things happen, too, but it shouldn't really be discussed. Suffice it to say that the experiment doesn't go exactly as the crewmembers expected. The film then goes in a very different direction as it sends the characters into unknown territory, trying to discern exactly what is going on. The problem here is that the movie lacks follow through. It sets up intriguing mysteries that capitalize on the increasingly strained psyches of these isolated characters. But it doesn't have the narrative gumption or the skill to the story to a satisfying conclusion.
A lot of the tension is built on the characters trying to determine if any given crisis is just a part of the simulation. This is fun for a while, with the movie smartly establishing that the participants in the experiment are supposed to expect surprises along the way. But as the movie jumps into its twists, it becomes tedious to hear the characters argue about whether what they're experiencing is real. It gets pretty ridiculous. As the reality of the situation gets more and more elaborate, it becomes unreasonable for these characters to continue to believe that the experiment is continuing as planned.
The twist is actually pretty compelling, and there are a lot of narrative avenues that this movie could have taken. But it takes the least interesting one in the end: casting doubt on whether or not any of it is real. It is on that note the movie invests all of its efforts, and it gets in the way of the immediacy of their plight. These characters could be dealing with their new status quo. They could be actively trying to figure out what to do, or how to deal with the dangers of their situation. But instead, the movie slows down as the characters are made to equivocate about their experiences.
In terms of production, the movie seems to get a lot out of a limited budget. The sets look pretty good for what they are, and as the film moves into more difficult territory, it finds fairly clever ways to depict some major changes. Brandon Routh is all right in the lead role, the actor able to work well enough within the limitations of the script. It's tough to understand some of her character's choices, but Caity Lotz never really seems lost. Tom Cavanagh is fun in the movie, though it might have been better if the circus surrounding his role were less vague. The weak link is Dane Cook, who at times feels like he's in a completely different film. In a movie that already takes on several different tones, that's kind of an achievement.
400 Days is just too vague. It doesn't want to provide any solid answers to the questions it poses. There are some fun bits, a couple of scenes that really take advantage of the distinct premise. But as it moves on, it really has trouble deciding where to take these characters. And so it just leans on mystery, keeping things intentionally vague so that it can avoid filling in details. The concept remains an intriguing sci-fi premise, one that could make for a better movie down the line. But 400 Days never gets past the concept. It feels like it gives up on telling the story, and instead settles for keeping everything in the dark.
My Rating:
