Mondays, am I right? First, you wake up on an alien planet in an outpost leaking oxygen, surrounded by the bloody remains of your co-workers who you probably killed. Then I swear it’s all downhill from there. Don’t even ask me to bury their bodies until I’ve had my coffee! You wouldn’t like me when I’m cranky. I mean, you really wouldn’t like me.
“Ash” is a sci-fi and horror film reminiscent of classics like “Alien,” “Planet of the Vampires,” “Galaxy of Terror,” “Pandorum,” “Event Horizon,” “The Thing,” “Leviathan,” “Screamers,” “The Cloverfield Paradox,” “Alien Cargo,” “Dracula 3000,” and even “Leprechaun 4: In Space.” It’s evident that some production members enjoyed playing “Dead Space,” “Doom,” “System Shock,” or “Portal.” In a well-trodden subgenre, it’s commendable when filmmakers acknowledge the challenge of originality and instead embrace familiar tropes.
Eiza González leads as Riya, the amnesiac protagonist. She must unravel the mystery of her surroundings, the fate of her crew, and how to return to Earth. Another crew member, Brion (Aaron Paul), arrives from orbit to check on her. He reveals they are part of a mission to locate a habitable planet because, unsurprisingly, humanity has ruined Earth’s ability to support life. The only implausible aspect of this setup is how long it took to destroy the planet, allowing for spaceship construction and interstellar travel. (At this rate, considering the current administration, it may only take a couple of years.)
Riya and Brion need to repair the outpost and survive until their shuttle aligns with an orbiting vessel, enabling their escape from this forsaken planet — KOI-442, cleverly dubbed “Ash.” One crew member is missing, and despite Riya’s flashbacks of her past actions against her friends, perhaps this other individual is the true antagonist? As I always say, there’s no herring like a red herring.
It takes a considerable amount of time to reveal the truth and the essence of the horror. Frustratingly, when the answers finally emerge, “Ash” indeed introduces a few fresh concepts. However, due to the lengthy buildup, we only get a glimpse of these ideas as the film spends over half its runtime on technical issues and vague dialogue. The more intriguing elements, which do eventually surface, remain underexplored except for one notably grotesque monster effect.
“Ash” is directed by musician and filmmaker Flying Lotus, known for his music for Adult Swim and his feature film “Kuso.” He also helmed “Ozzy’s Dungeon,” a wildly imaginative segment of the horror anthology “V/H/S99,” inspired by the kids’ TV show “Double Dare.” His vibrant, colorful visual style and flair for the grotesque shine through in “Ash.” Several design elements stand out, including a uniquely creepy automatic surgery machine resembling a Tamagotchi, and space suits that are beautifully insectoid, reminiscent of the iconic mutants from Jack Arnold’s “This Island Earth.”
“Ash” presents a colorful spectacle, skillfully disguising its low-budget with striking Fulci-esque palettes. Flying Lotus’s electronic score pulsates with an eerie vibe, reminiscent of early 1980s music that seems to have slipped through a wormhole. Had the entire film adopted a retro lo-fi aesthetic, it might have mitigated the predictability of its plot, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in its world and appreciate the peculiar details. However, the film’s slick production only highlights the emptiness of the characters, their environment, and circumstances.
While there are definitely worse sci-fi and horror films, the phrase “there are worse movies” rarely serves as commendation. The term “Competent!” seldom appears in marketing materials, no matter how accurate it may be. Yet, “Ash” is indeed competent. Although it features unremarkable writing, it’s visually appealing, showcases effective performances, and offers a few exciting, bizarre moments toward the end.
If the film accomplishes nothing else, it imparts an essential lesson: If you have captivating content to reveal, do so without making us wade through generic clichés first. Don’t make us slog through the mundane before we can appreciate the best parts of your movie, while we’re too sleepy to care.
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