krofire

Production +h’s 2022 speculative-fiction romp kicks off like any other brats-in-space story but quickly moves onto to be quite an adventure. You would be forgiven for ditching this early on as it doesn’t initially look very original. But give it time. The story is actually quite sophisticated. Three teens arrive at a new space station hotel built just for kids. It is already inhabited by two young adults, Touya and Konoha, who are the last children born on the Moon still alive. Their condition requires special medical care and they are looked after by a 21-year-old girl who got called “Nasa Houston” who doesn’t like kids. So far, so good, yet the story really kicks off when the space station is hit by comet fragments directed by a mysterious and apparently malignant AI. From here-on-in we are in full disaster movie territory as the kids struggle to survive aided by their command of technology, 3D-printing, drones and, um, social media. There are moments of real peril here but it shouldn’t be too scary for most family members. However, as the plot evolves it becomes increasingly sophisticated mixing in global politics, AI mysticism and international terrorism. This will probably lose much of the younger audience and grows so complicated at times that even us adults might find it hard to follow. Such a narrative is a tricky story thread to run with as it could have easily gone either way: too complicated or too facile. “The Orbital Children” cuts it just about right and proves itself to be fairly entertaining if you can stomach the usual nonsense of kids acting like adults. The story stretches as far as being quite philosophical in asking questions about how far humanity goes towards trusting the judgment of artificial intelligence. This is your fairly standard “New Prometheus” plot-line but it brings it all bang up to date with contemporary technology. Nothing here seems too far-fetched and the visuals are often realistic. Although relatively undemanding emotionally the story still engages with its vision of a techno-optimistic future. The critics gave it a warm reception so it might be worth checking out. We admit to a little indifference. If you are a sci fi junky you might not find this your thing. Give it a spin.