Cosmic Horror: Ash Can't Find Its Own Identity

IMDb

2.5/5 stars

Science fiction is such a large genre that there are nearly limitless possibilities for what kind of story to tell and rapper/composer Flying Lotus (Kuso) tries to tackle nearly all of these ideas with his new film Ash. It is an ambitious film in scope that, despite some impressive visuals, is bogged down by a derivative story and some lackluster performances.

In the distant future, a woman named Riya (Eiza Gonzalez) wakes up in a spaceship that has landed on some mysterious alien planet. She finds that the rest of the crew has been brutally murdered and she has no memory of what happened. When Brion (Aaron Paul), another crew member who was separated from the ship, returns to find her, the two must piece together the mystery in front of them. Did the crew succumb to cabin fever? Can Riya and Brion truly trust each other? Or is there something on this planet that wants them dead?

The film has some visual flourishes, creating a world that looks uniquely alien and the special effects are surprisingly decent for a film of this budget. It's also no surprise that the score (provided by Flying Lotus) is appropriately atmospheric. Unfortunately, the story and characters are not given nearly the same attention. Flying Lotus wears his inspirations on his sleeve (in particular, Alien and The Thing with a little Event Horizon and Solaris sprinkled in) and as a result, the film never really finds its own identity. He has some interesting ideas here and there, but this kind of claustrophobic sci-fi/horror has been done much better so many times over.

Ash is currently in theaters and comes to Shudder on April 22.

Directed by Flying Lotus // Written by Jonni Remmler // Starring Eiza Gonzalez, Aaron Paul, Iko Uwais, Kate Elliot, Beulah Koale, and Flying Lotus // XYZ Films // 95 minutes // Rated R