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R
for bloody violence, gore and language.
Starring
Eiza Gonzalez, Aaron Paul, Iko Uwais, Kate Elliott, Beulah Koale
Director
Flying Lotus
Producer
Matthew Metcalfe, Nate Bolotin
Genres
Science Fiction
Thriller
Horror
Released by
RLJE Films on
3/21/2025
Nationwide
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Trailer
Review
Ash doesn't claim to be a re-imagining of John Carpenter's version of The Thing, but one would have at least expected some sort of credit to be given to the 1982 movie. The earlier film's DNA is so deeply infused into this production that it's impossible to miss: the sense of isolation and paranoia, the "enemy within" aspect, the gory killings, the doppelganger effect - they're all there. The only things missing are Kurt Russell and the dog. Okay, maybe that's a little unfair because one could also cite a few Alien references. However, even though Flying Lotus' haunted-house-on-an-alien-planet movie is highly derivative, it's enjoyable for precisely that reason. When pilfering from fringes of the cinematic past, the actor/director cherry-picks some of the most compulsively watchable elements.
The action transpires on a remote planet that has been targeted by Earthlings for terraforming and colonization. Astronauts have established an outpost in a hostile environment: the atmosphere is poison and the terrain unforgiving. The expedition is comprised of five crewmembers working under the command of the captain, Adhi (Iko Uwais): Riya (Eiza Gonzalez), Brion (Aaron Paul), Kevin (Beulah Koale), Clarke (Kate Elliott), and Davis (Flying Lotus). The movie starts with a jarring sequence that has an injured Riya awakening to discover the murdered bodies of several of her fellows. There's a nasty-looking wound on her forehead and she has no memory of what happened. There's blood everywhere and the inside of the outpost is bathed in an eerie red light. A computerized voice announces various alerts and warnings. As Riya tries to piece together things from her uncooperative memory, she is assailed by brief, violent imaginings that could be remembrances. When Brion shows up unharmed, she is wary, but at least she has someone to confide in. It soon becomes evident, however, that it may be her, not him, who is untrustworthy.
For roughly its first two-thirds, Ash does a good job maintaining and deepening the mystery of what happened at the outpost and who is responsible for the carnage. Although the movie is presented from Riya's perspective, we are aware from the beginning that she is an unreliable narrator. Neither we nor she can trust the validity of her visions and memories. Director Flying Lotus makes ample use of the confined setting to amplify the viewer's sense of unease. And, although the discordant electronic music score (composed by Flying Lotus) at times calls too much attention to itself, it exacerbates the unsettled atmosphere.
A problem with Ash is it feels the need to overexplain. This is one of those times when it might have been better not to try to answer every question. Providing clear resolutions requires the dreaded exposition dump and it arrives in a clunky, unfortunate manner. I found the film's final 30 minutes to be considerably less engaging than the first hour. A lot of what happens late in the proceedings feels rushed. Although I appreciate a movie that doesn't overstay its welcome, this one arguably hurries to the finish line too quickly. (Note to those who plan to see Ash: do not leave prior to a scene that is presented midway during the end credits. It completely changes how the ending is perceived.)
Ash is at its best when it focuses on things like the unreliability of memory and the stress imposed by isolation and paranoia. Eiza Gonzalez is singularly effective playing a character who can't trust anyone or anything... including herself. The visuals are trippy, although there a few times when the ambitious special effects come across as fake. The film will likely find a receptive audience among those who enjoy blood-soaked B movies. It has enough gory elements to enhance the overpowering mood.
© 2025 James Berardinelli
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