Astronaut Michael Forrest (Khary Patton) must cut his journey to Europa (to explore whales in the oceans under the ice)
when an accident kills fellow astronaut Nathan Miller in an accident aboard Life One near Venus. Businessman Walter
Moffitt (Lance Henrikson) decides to abort the mission and have Michael make the solitary three year journey back to Earth.
Michael will be tested as he faces loneliness and hallucinations on the journey home as he first must figure how to rewire
the ship to make it rockets fire when the ship comes around Venus.
ASTRONAUT: THE LAST PUSH is an interesting take on space exploration as it explores what may be the future of space exploration
(private industry funding it) and the challenges that might be faced (like sailors faced on long trips across the oceans in
the days of Christopher Columbus). Also it is fair to note that the production deisgn and special effects are great
for this low budget feature. It also is a journey about the human spirit and the need to explore the unknown no matter
what the risks are. ASTRONAUT: THE LAST PUSH is a work of love by writer/ director Eric Hayden. I could compare
this film to APOLLO 13 almost entirely from the POV of the astronaut except for messages from mission control and people wishing
Michael a safe journey (and how he inspires them). Khary Patton manages to carry the movie on his shoulders. I
do think the flyby of Venus has to be one of the most amazing moments in the film. I do wonder how the film would have
played out if it was farther into the journey. The movie does remind me a little of the movie STRANDED (where
a manned Mars mission crashes on Mars). This movie is a well written character drama that reminds me of a low
budget APOLLO 13 from the POV of the astronaut. This one is worth checking out.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Audio commentary with writer/ director Eric Hayden, actor Khary Patton, cinematographer A.J. Raitana, and composer Kimberly
Hayden
Behind-the-scenes featurette on how the VFX was created with audio commentary by Eric Hayden which tells the story of
how the movie was shot and how the visual effects were created (the director taught himself how to do the effects).
Trailer for ASTRONAUT: THE LAST PUSH.
FINAL ANALYSIS: ASTRONAUT: THE LAST PUSH is a must-see for fans of outer space exploration, hard sci-fi, and well
written drama. If you expect a sci-fi action film, this movie isn't for you because it is a journey about the
human spirit and the challenges of space exploration.
