Ash

You know what, I actually liked this movie. It is an absolute vision in terms of the sci-fi genre, and the horror is gripping enough to be interesting to me. The twist is slightly predictable, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of this film. It's just really pretty, and I feel like that was more than enough to keep me engaged.

I agree with @Julius Matheus in that all the negativity toward this movie isn't really warranted. It's basically a B tier "Alien" but in reverse with the protagonist "Riya" starting off as the "final girl", memory wiped, and stuck on an alien planet, who through flashbacks, is working her way through the kills of her crew, while trying to figure out just WTF happened / is happening.

They, having been dispatched from the homeworld that we once again apparently f'ed up beyond all recognition, and, rather than fix what we broke, have instead dispatched 7 missions to find some new digs, six of which have ended up kaput. Aaron Paul as would be rescuer Brion shows up in rescue mode, but, is just sketchy enough that you're not quite sure what to make of him, as is Riya. Eliza Gonzalez is perfectly cast in the pseudo "Ripley" role, but easier on the eyes yet still enough of a badass to be believable when she has to chew bubblegum and kick azz, but has run out of bubblegum.

The rest of the crew are basically "Redshirts", fodder for Riya's various uses of stabby things as well as a portable flame thrower, with which she deals her hand to each crew member with extreme prejudice.

Kudos to the writers for the Japanese "repair droid/bot in a suitcase, that can scan, diagnose, image, and even do brain surgery when called upon. Cutting edge stuff sometimes needed when going "where no one has gone before."

Eiza González is amazing — as always. That said, I really don’t understand the hate or all the harsh criticism this film is getting. Ash isn’t groundbreaking or mind-blowing, but it’s definitely not bad.

The suspense and psychological horror elements are pretty mild, maybe even weak, but they work for what the film sets out to do. What stood out to me was the visual side of it — the movie looks good. The camera work is interesting and often reflects what the character is going through emotionally. Visually, it delivers what it needs to — nothing out of the box, but solid.

I haven’t watched many sci-fi movies, so my standards for the genre aren’t that high yet. Still, I’d say Ash is a good film to watch when you’re not expecting anything too innovative or packed with plot twists. At a certain point, the story becomes predictable, but that doesn’t ruin the experience.

Overall, I don’t think watching it is a waste of time — especially since it’s a short film with some technical strengths that help carry the narrative.

This was extremely boring, predictable, and riddled with plot holes.

Well, contrary to public opinion, I thought it was fairly decent and I enjoyed it for the most part. I thought it should have ended after the machine removed the parasite from her skull, but other than that, it was pretty good all in all.

As far as sci-fi goes, I’ve certainly seen much worse that some people consider classic…

Alright movie.

I like the premise, not the world building. It would've been a better idea to keep things mysterious rather than explaining everything in an unnecessary step forward. They could've just gave the protagonist a revelation, and showed her moving towards her "freedom," and ended it. This would've been a better experience.

Pacing problems are apparent, unfortunately. I like the twist, sure, but pretty much everything up until that point felt like a filler. You obviously see the twist a mile away, however, it's the experience, not the revelation. So they needed a better story structure here.

I like the visuals, and the audio, but reliance on CGI doesn't help their case. I understand this is relatively low on budget, but they have decent body horror and practical effects, I don't know why they had to go with cheap CGI with certain scenes. They had like a few scenes they absolutely needed CG.

Anyway, it's not a marvellous movie, but it's okay.

Fell asleep and doubt I missed much.

The actress is beautiful. Red and blue lights looked good on her. Everything else about this movie is trash.

we were the only people in the theater. The projector shut off halfway through, and I didn't bother to tell a employee so we just left. I think that's telling enough for this movie

When a sci-fi film starts evoking classics like Alien, Event Horizon, or The Thing, you naturally brace yourself for something powerful. The problem is when the final product fails to capture any of the magic that made those films great. Ash tries — it looks stylish, the atmosphere is there… but the script and overall execution fall flat.

The setup is intriguing: a ship, a lone survivor, a lurking threat… but it quickly becomes clear there’s not much depth behind it. The tension doesn’t quite land, and while the oppressive tone works at first, it fades away through uninspired twists and a rhythm that disconnects more than it hooks. Eiza González does what she can with a role that barely gives her room to breathe — her commitment is evident, but it’s not enough to carry the film.

Flying Lotus leans heavily into the aesthetic, into the sensory experience — and at times, that’s appreciated. But without narrative weight, no matter how polished it looks, it’s hard to stay engaged. There are hints of themes like memory, paranoia, and identity… but they’re not developed, just thrown in the mix.

In the end, Ash is a failed attempt at a space odyssey with personality. It’s not terrible, not at all — but it’s also not memorable. One more for the pile, and a wasted opportunity.