Virtuality (2009)

23% of users liked it
(246 ratings)

Twelve extremely talented men and women have been chosen to be part of the Phaeton mission, a 10-year trek to explore a distant planetary system. In order to endure the stress of being confined to their high-tech vessel, the crew passes the time using advanced virtual reality modules that allow them… More Twelve extremely talented men and women have been chosen to be part of the Phaeton mission, a 10-year trek to explore a distant planetary system. In order to endure the stress of being confined to their high-tech vessel, the crew passes the time using advanced virtual reality modules that allow them to take on various identities. But as the ship approaches a critical phase of their journey, a deadly flaw is discovered in the virtual system, forcing them to question if someone onboard might be a killer.

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 27 min.
Directed By: Peter Berg
Written By: Ronald D. Moore, Michael Taylor
Genres: Western, Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

On DVD: May 4, 2010
Studio: Fox Network

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Walter M

In "Virtuality," the spaceship Phaeton is on a 10-year mission to become humanity's first voyage to another star system, quickly approaching the point of no return around Neptune. Dr. Roger Fallon(James D'Arcy) is producing a reality series broadcast back to the… More
In "Virtuality," the spaceship Phaeton is on a 10-year mission to become humanity's first voyage to another star system, quickly approaching the point of no return around Neptune. Dr. Roger Fallon(James D'Arcy) is producing a reality series broadcast back to the folks on earth, promoting Billie(Kerry Bishe) to on-air host. Manny(Jose Pablo Cantillo) and Val(Gene Farber) have issues with how they are portrayed but their fears are put to rest with a little give and take. That's a small problem compared to Dr. Adin Meyer(Omar Metwally) self-diagnosing himself with Parkinson's disease, making the decision harder for Commander Frank Pike(Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) on whether to continue the mission or not, with news that humanity is on the brink of extinction. So, no pressure, then. "Virtuality" is a failed pilot episode. So, it is interesting to contemplate where the series could have gone from here. Like the contemporaneous "Defying Gravity," "Virtuality" focuses a lot on relationships, almost to the point of soap opera.(Bonus points for the same sex couple, though.) And the reality show elements threaten to make it feel like a science fiction "Big Brother."(Which "Doctor Who" literally did a few years back.) The virtual reality elements that are supposed to give the crew some privacy, so they don't kill each other, are nothing new, having been done to death by the Star Trek series and on occasion by "Red Dwarf." But towards the end, the material gets darker as it takes on a difficult and serious subject, just before everything goes sideways, giving what every speculative fiction series desperately needs: mystery.
Angela A

This was an interesting concept, but it was just starting to develop and it went and finished. It was like a pilot episode for a TV series.. Perhaps they have plans for a sequel or seven.