THE PREMISE:

"A woman wakes up on a distant planet and finds the crew of her space station viciously killed. Her investigation into what happened sets in motion a terrifying chain of events." 

OUR MOVIE REVIEW:

Flying Lotus’ stated during his Q&A directly following the SXSW premiere that Ash was massively inspired by the world of videogames and the influence shows wholeheartedly throughout this entire sci-fi horror feature. The problem with making a movie the same speed and chaos of a videogame cutscene is that it forcibly makes the audience a watcher and no longer a player - causing a loss of personal tension but an admiration for the visuals on screen. The film had a minimal budget and the visuals showcase the talents of those involved as they are truly awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, visuals don’t make the film as the story lacks finesse and the performances of the small cast involved offer much to their roles, it's a film that never quite knows how to successfully travel from one beat to another coherently. 

Jonni Remmler crafted the script and this being his first feature - it has fantastic elements but it’s clear that Flying Lotus couldn’t properly bring Remmler’s vision to the big screen - quite possibly the project was unfilmable and Flying Lotus took the chance. Eiza González is a fascinating lead - appearing to be abandoned on a station on an unknown planet after a mysterious massacre has killed the entire crew. This is her first leading role after playing support in such films as Baby Driver, Ambulance, and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare - and she holds her own as a lead albeit with a clunky script at the core of her performance. Aaron Paul (Need for Speed) arrives in the second act of the film, an astronaut that magically appears outside the base - he seems oddly less concerned with the deaths within the base than an average person should be, yet exudes charms that make you forget all about his suspicious nature. 

Divulging into spoilers now -- the alien parasite taking control of the mission is grotesque, rightfully brutal and is reminiscent of the zombies in Resident Evil 5 videogame with the mutation extending its tentacles from the mouth of the host. The film has many callbacks and nods to films like The Thing as well and other remarkable achievements in the genre - it's a clash of ideas that visually is truly captivating but from a story perspective is severely lacking. The perspective of the massacre from a first person POV is wonderfully unique and draws a different identity to the film, something that sparks even more comparison to the world of videogames. 

Ash is a beautiful effort - set with visuals that are as horrifying as they are alluring to look at. The aesthetic of the film is undeniably retro and captivating from start to finish, but the narrative it embodies lacks concentration. The twists and turns overshadow the potential of what Ash could have been, easily inducing a headache for anyone trying to follow this befuddling mess.