The film is a loose remake of the Gerry Anderson-produced Journey To The Far Side of the Sun (aka Doppelganger). Except this has more focus on the drama than the sci-fi.
Also, early reviews have been very mixed. Either critics love it or they hate it.
More Buscemi at http://forum.reelsociety.com/Oh, I remember Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun. Interesting movie, even if the science in it made no sense. But other than the parallel Earth idea, it has nothing in common with this movie: not the events, not the characters, not the focus etc.
I guess what annoys me is not so much that one random person's life is explored, as much as that there is so much else that could have been done with the idea, and instead they just focus on a tragic romance.
I see no problem with it. Honestly, it sounds like you're nitpicking. Alternate Earth stories exist to show different timelines and possibilities, and I'm sure there's already dozen of other stories where the implications of how even one difference can radically alter one Earth have already been made. This is a simple movie with a simple premise, without delving into hard core sci-fi and that's good enough.
Yes, I'm sure that's how it's supposed to be taken. Except you know, the same idea has been dealt with in other movies in much more logical ways (usually by having the protagonist actually sent to a parallel universe to see what his or her life would have been like; in Me Myself And I for example) The whole "Oh My God another Earth just popped up in the sky!" McGuffin seems too big for this kind of story.
Not to mention the fact seeing the Earth in the sky all the time keeps reminding you that something major is going on in the world while the movie virtually ignores it for a love story that is, frankly, baffling (just what does the protagonist think will happen once the guy finds out that she killed his family? OK maybe he forgives her and falls in love with her anyway, but is that a rational expectation?)
Oh, and wouldn't it be funny (or tragic) if it turned out that The Alternate Earth was just some kind of mirage? You'd think that would be the first thing people would think of in fact.
edited 26th Jul '11 8:09:47 AM by Sijo
Not to mention the fact seeing the Earth in the sky all the time keeps reminding you that something major is going on in the world while the movie virtually ignores it for a love story that is, frankly, baffling
Also, I know it's just to make it cool, symbolic, dramatic or obvious, but I can't get over the other Earth being so close. They should be having terrible effects on each other.
I think the other earth is intended as a plot device to examine how her life could have been different. The story the moviemakers wanted to tell is about her, not about the implications of a second Earth, so of course they wouldn't focus on the latter.
I like stuff about parallel universes (I loved Fringe), but having another planet pop up in the sky may be the dumbest possible way this could have been done.
No offense to a great deal of people, but as soon as I saw that there was a thread on this here on this, I kind of knew there'd be disappointed reactions from people who prefer sci-fi. Yeah, this is not a hard sci-fi movie, or really sci-fi at all. I mean, I haven't seen it, but as far as I know it's just a sort of indie drama with a strange plot device looming overhead.
My thought process when I first encountered the trailer was "Oh, an interesting sci-fi alternate world thingy, right?" I mean, I am a fan of Fringe after all. Then I quickly realized, between the actual content of the trailer and all the articles I subsequently read about the film, that it wasn't what I initially thought. And I really wasn't that surprised, nor did I let it disappoint me. I just kind of moved on.
And for the record, I had no idea it was a loose remake of anything.
Flora Segunda | World Made By Hand | Monster Blood Tattoo ^You should read these series.

...Am I the only person who is completely baffled by the concept(s) in this film?
First, putting a side the fact that if another planet suddenly popped up near Earth it would be catastrophic for both, the discovery of an actual Parallel Earth -with billions of human duplicates in it- would be such an impacting event that everything from Science to Religion would be changed forever. Instead of focusing on that, though, the movie centers on...
... A woman romancing the man whose family she (accidentally) killed??)
And the only connection between these facts is just that she's thinking of visiting the Other Earth to find out what "her" life is like there? What's she going to do then? Kill her counterpart and take over her life?
And of course, it's already popular in Indy movie circles. I guess True Art Is Angsty indeed.
edited 21st Jul '11 9:28:25 PM by Sijo