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Beyond the Edge, AKA ISRA 88, AKA Mission 88 (2016)...?

From IMDB:

A scientist and a pilot volunteer for a high profile mission to reach the end of the universe. After 13 years, the ship crashes through the end of the universe and into the unknown.

From a review:

The film stars Sean Maher (“Firefly”) as Dr. Abe Anderson and Casper Van Dien (“Starship Troopers”) as Lieutenant Colonel Harold Richards. When we first meet them, they have already spent 13 years on a mission to reach the end of the universe. Harold serves as the pilot of the spacecraft, and Abe is there to do experiments on bees and eels. There isn’t much to do; Harold does pushups while Abe watches old sitcoms. There is also a pinball machine that may or may not work.

It’s difficult to explain the plot beyond that. The film keeps the audience in the dark by telling its story non-chronologically, and although the structure plays into some of the concepts that are eventually explored, it makes for a bizarrely-paced film that I found very hard to engage with. For the first twenty minutes or so, the two men hardly speak to each other. It isn’t until later in the film that we really get to see them interact or learn anything about who they are. I don’t think the writers had a good sense of how to tease the ideas they were getting at, and in the end they never explain the ideas directly enough for any of the third-act reveals to feel significant or really make sense.

Two men volunteer for a spaceflight to the edge of the universe to find out what lies beyond it. The plot unfolds in non-chronological order, so we start off with them already in space, and are later shown scenes with them being prepped for the mission back on Earth.

They keep bees and one or more electric eels on board the ship, which I'm guessing are the 'worms' you mentioned. There's also a scene with one of the men trying to repair a broken pinball machine, and one of them dies in an accident.

The ship interior is mostly light grey, not white, but there are white objects within it, such as a table with a glowing white surface. The film is pretty low-budget, and the visuals have a Kubrickian feel at times, so it could be mistaken for being somewhat older than it actually is.

I could say more, but I've already matched all the details mentioned in the question, and don't want to spoil the plot for anyone who might want to watch this. I do agree with the review above though that much of what we see in the film isn't clearly explained.

Beyond the Edge, AKA ISRA 88, AKA Mission 88 (2016)...?

From IMDB:

A scientist and a pilot volunteer for a high profile mission to reach the end of the universe. After 13 years, the ship crashes through the end of the universe and into the unknown.

From a review:

The film stars Sean Maher (“Firefly”) as Dr. Abe Anderson and Casper Van Dien (“Starship Troopers”) as Lieutenant Colonel Harold Richards. When we first meet them, they have already spent 13 years on a mission to reach the end of the universe. Harold serves as the pilot of the spacecraft, and Abe is there to do experiments on bees and eels. There isn’t much to do; Harold does pushups while Abe watches old sitcoms. There is also a pinball machine that may or may not work.

It’s difficult to explain the plot beyond that. The film keeps the audience in the dark by telling its story non-chronologically, and although the structure plays into some of the concepts that are eventually explored, it makes for a bizarrely-paced film that I found very hard to engage with. For the first twenty minutes or so, the two men hardly speak to each other. It isn’t until later in the film that we really get to see them interact or learn anything about who they are. I don’t think the writers had a good sense of how to tease the ideas they were getting at, and in the end they never explain the ideas directly enough for any of the third-act reveals to feel significant or really make sense.

Beyond the Edge, AKA ISRA 88, AKA Mission 88 (2016).

From IMDB:

A scientist and a pilot volunteer for a high profile mission to reach the end of the universe. After 13 years, the ship crashes through the end of the universe and into the unknown.

From a review:

The film stars Sean Maher (“Firefly”) as Dr. Abe Anderson and Casper Van Dien (“Starship Troopers”) as Lieutenant Colonel Harold Richards. When we first meet them, they have already spent 13 years on a mission to reach the end of the universe. Harold serves as the pilot of the spacecraft, and Abe is there to do experiments on bees and eels. There isn’t much to do; Harold does pushups while Abe watches old sitcoms. There is also a pinball machine that may or may not work.

It’s difficult to explain the plot beyond that. The film keeps the audience in the dark by telling its story non-chronologically, and although the structure plays into some of the concepts that are eventually explored, it makes for a bizarrely-paced film that I found very hard to engage with. For the first twenty minutes or so, the two men hardly speak to each other. It isn’t until later in the film that we really get to see them interact or learn anything about who they are. I don’t think the writers had a good sense of how to tease the ideas they were getting at, and in the end they never explain the ideas directly enough for any of the third-act reveals to feel significant or really make sense.

Two men volunteer for a spaceflight to the edge of the universe to find out what lies beyond it. The plot unfolds in non-chronological order, so we start off with them already in space, and are later shown scenes with them being prepped for the mission back on Earth.

They keep bees and one or more electric eels on board the ship, which I'm guessing are the 'worms' you mentioned. There's also a scene with one of the men trying to repair a broken pinball machine, and one of them dies in an accident.

The ship interior is mostly light grey, not white, but there are white objects within it, such as a table with a glowing white surface. The film is pretty low-budget, and the visuals have a Kubrickian feel at times, so it could be mistaken for being somewhat older than it actually is.

I could say more, but I've already matched all the details mentioned in the question, and don't want to spoil the plot for anyone who might want to watch this. I do agree with the review above though that much of what we see in the film isn't clearly explained.

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LogicDictates
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Beyond the Edge, AKA ISRA 88, AKA Mission 88 (2016)_...?

From IMDB:

A scientist and a pilot volunteer for a high profile mission to reach the end of the universe. After 13 years, the ship crashes through the end of the universe and into the unknown.

From a review:

The film stars Sean Maher (“Firefly”) as Dr. Abe Anderson and Casper Van Dien (“Starship Troopers”) as Lieutenant Colonel Harold Richards. When we first meet them, they have already spent 13 years on a mission to reach the end of the universe. Harold serves as the pilot of the spacecraft, and Abe is there to do experiments on bees and eels. There isn’t much to do; Harold does pushups while Abe watches old sitcoms. There is also a pinball machine that may or may not work.

It’s difficult to explain the plot beyond that. The film keeps the audience in the dark by telling its story non-chronologically, and although the structure plays into some of the concepts that are eventually explored, it makes for a bizarrely-paced film that I found very hard to engage with. For the first twenty minutes or so, the two men hardly speak to each other. It isn’t until later in the film that we really get to see them interact or learn anything about who they are. I don’t think the writers had a good sense of how to tease the ideas they were getting at, and in the end they never explain the ideas directly enough for any of the third-act reveals to feel significant or really make sense.

It’s hard to fault the filmmakers for trying making the most out of what they had, but the film was clearly made a very low budget. The space shots look like bad green-screen effects, and the interior of their spaceship is never convincing. The performances are not very impressive either. Van Dien and Maher aren’t amateurs, but they don’t bring much subtlety to their performances and I never really got invested in their characters. Not they have very interesting dialogue or character arcs to work with. The film touches on themes of depression and loneliness, but not in a particularly thought-provoking way that made me care about what the characters’ were going through. There is one scene that stands out as tonally and stylistically very different from the rest film. It gives the actors some fairly amusing material, although it’s too long and doesn’t really lead anywhere.

For a film that feels likes it’s made by and for science fiction aficionados, it’s weirdly unconcerned with science or logic. It is mentioned that Abe is studying the bees’ behavior in zero-gravity, but it is never explained why Abe and Harold are completely unaffected by the lack of gravity. They are traveling at a ridiculously fast speed, but are somehow able to communicate with Earth in real-time, with no mention of relativity at any point. These are just a couple of things that film never attempts to explain.

I like high-concept films, but it can be tough to pull them off on a small budget. “Beyond the Edge” really exposes those limitations, and the script isn’t strong enough make up for them. It’s an interesting premise that unfortunately results in a messy, boring movie that I cannot recommend.

Beyond the Edge AKA ISRA 88 (2016)_...?

From IMDB:

A scientist and a pilot volunteer for a high profile mission to reach the end of the universe. After 13 years, the ship crashes through the end of the universe and into the unknown.

From a review:

The film stars Sean Maher (“Firefly”) as Dr. Abe Anderson and Casper Van Dien (“Starship Troopers”) as Lieutenant Colonel Harold Richards. When we first meet them, they have already spent 13 years on a mission to reach the end of the universe. Harold serves as the pilot of the spacecraft, and Abe is there to do experiments on bees and eels. There isn’t much to do; Harold does pushups while Abe watches old sitcoms. There is also a pinball machine that may or may not work.

It’s difficult to explain the plot beyond that. The film keeps the audience in the dark by telling its story non-chronologically, and although the structure plays into some of the concepts that are eventually explored, it makes for a bizarrely-paced film that I found very hard to engage with. For the first twenty minutes or so, the two men hardly speak to each other. It isn’t until later in the film that we really get to see them interact or learn anything about who they are. I don’t think the writers had a good sense of how to tease the ideas they were getting at, and in the end they never explain the ideas directly enough for any of the third-act reveals to feel significant or really make sense.

It’s hard to fault the filmmakers for trying making the most out of what they had, but the film was clearly made a very low budget. The space shots look like bad green-screen effects, and the interior of their spaceship is never convincing. The performances are not very impressive either. Van Dien and Maher aren’t amateurs, but they don’t bring much subtlety to their performances and I never really got invested in their characters. Not they have very interesting dialogue or character arcs to work with. The film touches on themes of depression and loneliness, but not in a particularly thought-provoking way that made me care about what the characters’ were going through. There is one scene that stands out as tonally and stylistically very different from the rest film. It gives the actors some fairly amusing material, although it’s too long and doesn’t really lead anywhere.

For a film that feels likes it’s made by and for science fiction aficionados, it’s weirdly unconcerned with science or logic. It is mentioned that Abe is studying the bees’ behavior in zero-gravity, but it is never explained why Abe and Harold are completely unaffected by the lack of gravity. They are traveling at a ridiculously fast speed, but are somehow able to communicate with Earth in real-time, with no mention of relativity at any point. These are just a couple of things that film never attempts to explain.

I like high-concept films, but it can be tough to pull them off on a small budget. “Beyond the Edge” really exposes those limitations, and the script isn’t strong enough make up for them. It’s an interesting premise that unfortunately results in a messy, boring movie that I cannot recommend.

Beyond the Edge, AKA ISRA 88, AKA Mission 88 (2016)...?

From IMDB:

A scientist and a pilot volunteer for a high profile mission to reach the end of the universe. After 13 years, the ship crashes through the end of the universe and into the unknown.

From a review:

The film stars Sean Maher (“Firefly”) as Dr. Abe Anderson and Casper Van Dien (“Starship Troopers”) as Lieutenant Colonel Harold Richards. When we first meet them, they have already spent 13 years on a mission to reach the end of the universe. Harold serves as the pilot of the spacecraft, and Abe is there to do experiments on bees and eels. There isn’t much to do; Harold does pushups while Abe watches old sitcoms. There is also a pinball machine that may or may not work.

It’s difficult to explain the plot beyond that. The film keeps the audience in the dark by telling its story non-chronologically, and although the structure plays into some of the concepts that are eventually explored, it makes for a bizarrely-paced film that I found very hard to engage with. For the first twenty minutes or so, the two men hardly speak to each other. It isn’t until later in the film that we really get to see them interact or learn anything about who they are. I don’t think the writers had a good sense of how to tease the ideas they were getting at, and in the end they never explain the ideas directly enough for any of the third-act reveals to feel significant or really make sense.

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LogicDictates
  • 134.2k
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  • 586

Beyond the Edge AKA ISRA 88 (2016)_...?

From IMDB:

A scientist and a pilot volunteer for a high profile mission to reach the end of the universe. After 13 years, the ship crashes through the end of the universe and into the unknown.

From a review:

The film stars Sean Maher (“Firefly”) as Dr. Abe Anderson and Casper Van Dien (“Starship Troopers”) as Lieutenant Colonel Harold Richards. When we first meet them, they have already spent 13 years on a mission to reach the end of the universe. Harold serves as the pilot of the spacecraft, and Abe is there to do experiments on bees and eels. There isn’t much to do; Harold does pushups while Abe watches old sitcoms. There is also a pinball machine that may or may not work.

It’s difficult to explain the plot beyond that. The film keeps the audience in the dark by telling its story non-chronologically, and although the structure plays into some of the concepts that are eventually explored, it makes for a bizarrely-paced film that I found very hard to engage with. For the first twenty minutes or so, the two men hardly speak to each other. It isn’t until later in the film that we really get to see them interact or learn anything about who they are. I don’t think the writers had a good sense of how to tease the ideas they were getting at, and in the end they never explain the ideas directly enough for any of the third-act reveals to feel significant or really make sense.

It’s hard to fault the filmmakers for trying making the most out of what they had, but the film was clearly made a very low budget. The space shots look like bad green-screen effects, and the interior of their spaceship is never convincing. The performances are not very impressive either. Van Dien and Maher aren’t amateurs, but they don’t bring much subtlety to their performances and I never really got invested in their characters. Not they have very interesting dialogue or character arcs to work with. The film touches on themes of depression and loneliness, but not in a particularly thought-provoking way that made me care about what the characters’ were going through. There is one scene that stands out as tonally and stylistically very different from the rest film. It gives the actors some fairly amusing material, although it’s too long and doesn’t really lead anywhere.

For a film that feels likes it’s made by and for science fiction aficionados, it’s weirdly unconcerned with science or logic. It is mentioned that Abe is studying the bees’ behavior in zero-gravity, but it is never explained why Abe and Harold are completely unaffected by the lack of gravity. They are traveling at a ridiculously fast speed, but are somehow able to communicate with Earth in real-time, with no mention of relativity at any point. These are just a couple of things that film never attempts to explain.

I like high-concept films, but it can be tough to pull them off on a small budget. “Beyond the Edge” really exposes those limitations, and the script isn’t strong enough make up for them. It’s an interesting premise that unfortunately results in a messy, boring movie that I cannot recommend.