Let's put our heads together and figure this out
Excuse me, this may be long but just.
I've read a few threads here and feel the need to create a centralized place so we can wrap our heads around this movie. The ending was only a layer of the onion rather than the answer to this enigma. It's just in my DNA to find some sort of resolution or method to the madness of this ham-handed film making, so I digress.
Here's some ideas and observations I made during the movie but need help from you in putting everything together:
Firstly, I'm inclined to believe this whole movie, from the opening shot of Theo waking in his jail cell(imprisonment similar to the ship and being a prisoner of his own mind) was the beginning of a hallucination. I believe this whole movie occurred in Theo's head from an induced hallucination from maybe some new-age hallucinogen administered and monitored by Keplar to test the psyche of potential astronauts for future Mars missions. Emily even reminds us at the press conference "the human mind can be very powerful when left to its own devices". People died, Theo was even stabbed with little consequence, I could go on on how this couldn't have been a simulation even though Theo's mind wanted to believe so. It's true, the mind can do extraordinary things to cope or even deny the present. No coincidence it was very hazy and dreamlike from the opening shot and I don't think that was the result of a 4 day bender of drinking as our protagonist mentioned. Let's face it this whole movie was shot very dreamlike; with no sense of time, absence of rationale at times, to the zombie like people in the town (whom most were apart of the media or in the penthouse mag) not paying any attention to them until talked to and then not giving straight answers. Everything just felt very dreamy to me.
Let's dig deeper. Dvorak and Bug were just extensions of Theo's personality. Zell even reminded Theo it was only just the 2 of them(Emily and Theo), basically acting as polar opposites as if they were the good and bad side of Theo. Remember the temporal memory exam, Bug finishes first, Dvorak last. Dvorak is a lustful drunk who doesn't value family and grew up in a broken household whose parents abandoned him and mom was also self-medicated, Theo was a drunk too. This was Theo's childhood imo. Also remember, Dvorak drank 5 or 6 shots at the bar while the other 3 crew members didn't take a sip. And not to mention Theo acted exactly like Dvorak in the diner when he was tossing furniture around looking for mics and cameras. Obviously alcoholism ran in the family as Theo had a drinking problem and infidelity issues(he is the good looking Brandon Routh after all) that more than likely caused the demise of his relationship with Emily. Bug was his good conscience that just wanted to see his child again(maybe Emily had an abortion or they couldn't agree about when to have a child?) and have a happy family but was driven mad of the present circumstances and drew/played a maze desperately trying to find the answers or finish(400 days) aka tranquility(like the town) and happiness. These two characters were playing a tug or war figuratively and literally throughout.
Time is relative, especially in a coma/dream like hallucination. The clock in the household first discovered when they left the ship was seen at 10:11. I think it's also important to add that they found a picture of a happy couple with 2 kids signifying the shattered future, a what could have been, that some part of Theo wanted. Maybe the whole post-apocalyptic world was his wild imagination and projection of his break up with his fiance(theo said he was confused when taking his pysche evaluation and so did Zell when describing what exactly happened to to their way of life and Earth as it is) The man in picture was also the same man breaking into the ship. He was desperate, oxygen deprived and near death, almost what Theo had become after the break up. The next clock we see was in the diner and stuck at 10:17. Was there any other clocks I missed? Interestingly enough, after their "launch" Walter told the crew he'd seem them tomorrow at 10 hundred hours, which is 10:00 military time. Hmmmm.
Walter or Keplar didn't cause the breakup, but Theo's indiscretions did. Theo's mind was only coping and wanting to believe he was a good guy that he was simply confused and heart broken. Notice how Theo passed the first launch test too. Also, I found one shot in particular that was pretty interesting when the crew arrives in the town of Tranquility. It tries hard to show Theo walking alone with the other 3 then following behind.
The end of the movie was Theo's mind making a happy ending of sorts. They both saved each others lives, passed the test and finally are seen holding hands and back together as the hatch opens with a bright light(as opposed to the dark confusion he'd been treading in). The congratulations,applause and resolve bring an end to his mind trip and imo will wake up in a Keplar lab after exiting the hatch.
Sorry for the wall o' text and grammar, I admittedly have had a few glasses of wine but just felt like I needed to rattle off some ideas fresh from viewing.
I know I missed some things and might not have relayed my thoughts as well as I would have liked but please would love to hear some of your ideas and opinions to!
PS: Over a year ago when this was announced on deadline.com somebody mentioned in the comments that the premise was very similar to a sci-fi book called Eon by Greg Bear which took place during the cold war but I haven't personally read it. Crazy enough too, he noted that if the ending is the crew stepping out of their ship into a post-apocalyptic world it must be inspired or based on the novel. Wow, he called it. Has anyone else read this?