Ash coincidentally continues on with the theme of sci-fi at SXSW and made its debut. Starring Eiza González and Aaron Paul and directed by Flying Lotus, Ash has all the checkmarks to catch my attention. The movie centers around González’s character, Riya, waking up after a massacre on the planet of Ash. She finds her crew completely slaughtered and she has no memory of what transpired.
Unfortunately, that’s where my interest ends with this movie. Ash really has all the hallmarks of a movie I’d fall in love with – strong female lead, aliens, blood, gore, and a mystery thriller premise. I’m not even bothered by the fact that early on I figured out what was actually happening. Actually I think that can actually be kind of fun. Seeing how they get to the conclusion can still be exciting.
Stylistically the movie is beautiful. All the detail into the volcanic ash falling on the desolate planet, the technology needed to run their home station on Ash, even the medical equipment used for the crew on the planet received much attention. And the beautiful colors used throughout the movie added so much to the otherworldly atmosphere. Director, Flying Lotus himself even put forth his musical talents to add to the pulsing anxiety.
Falling Short
I was excited to see González cast as the strong female lead in Ash. Unfortunately, the character of Riya just didn’t pan out. I don’t put this on González at all, though. Riya is just not a fully fleshed out character. We see flashbacks of Riya and the other supporting characters interacting and we hope to gain more insight into their relationships but instead we’re only given CliffsNotes versions.
I understand there’s only so much you can do in a movie where the flashback is integral to the plot. However, it leaves the story lacking where it could really make you care more about the characters and what happens to them. Instead I’m left not interested in a single person’s fate.
There’s a strong John Carpenter influence in Ash and director, Flying Lotus, does admit to this which lends to a fun nod for us horror fans. We see it musically and aesthetically. Without teetering too far into spoiler territory, there’s times where we get to see some entertaining scenes that just tug at our Carpenter souls. It’s moments like those we hope that Ash would have delivered more than just style over substance.
I really wanted to like Ash. Eiza González is a phenomenal actress and when you have someone as fun as Aaron Paul on the cast you know it’s going to be a good time of a movie. Unfortunately, this was just a miss for me. It’s stylistically and atmospherically beautiful, but the story just falls short. A sci-fi thriller needs more story and background and not just a pretty poster to keep my interest.
Ash opens in theaters March 21st.
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