A space trip that gets trippier than absorbing.
We see Eiza Gonzalez as Riya waking up on a strange planet with hallucinations of purple and pink colors and slaughtered people. Her memories are fuzzy as a a result of whatever the Hell has happened, and she doesn’t even know who she is and where she’s at currently. However, she does get quick triggers of what was happening, and they are gruesome. Could she have killed them or is something playing with her mind? Then she wanders back into the facility, where the only other survivor is Aaron Paul as Brion, who tells her that this place is called “Ash,” hence the film’s title “Ash.” And whatever is happening, their faces are lit up blue.
Whatever hallucination the girl is facing, there’s all sorts of colorful lighting. Wherever she’s at, she and Brion need to preserve whatever oxygen they have left, as there’s poison air in their mist. And whoever Brion is, can Riya trust him? That’s for the filmmakers to know, and for her to find out.
I’m looking at “Ash” with a sense of awe, like it has the ability to become a cult Sci-Fi movie, and there’s a lot of colors in it for me to admire. But from my viewpoint, it doesn’t have the story to ease us in. In fact, it often gets too crazy and convoluted for us to absorb.
There’s an earlier argument between Riya and Brion, in which she says: “I didn’t need you to give me f***ing space.” I can’t tell if it’s supposed to be a pun or a serious line, but I like the way González says it given the circumstances. And plus, “Snow Way” is one of my least favorite puns, so I’ll go with this one.
“Ash” was directed by rapper Flying Lotus, who also composes the score and casts himself, along with Iko Uwais, Beulah Koale (“Hawaii Five-0”), and Kate Elliott (“30 Days of Night”) as the dead scientists. Given the vibrance of colors, the art direction, the editing by Bryan Shaw, and cinematography by Richard Bluck, he does make himself a visionary artist. He also wisely casts Gonzalez and Paul with the right Sci-Fi ambitions. And the film itself is ambitious and great-looking.
But the screenplay by Jonni Remmler doesn’t push itself to new limits. I wanted to know who or what is killing the remaining astronauts, and what game is being played here, but I wanted to be absorbed by the whole thing. I have faith in this kind of Sci-Fi horror genre, and I did recently enjoy “The Gorge” for blending genres together and taking a break from formulas.
Last week, I was aggravated that the Russo brother’s latest Netflix Sci-Fi movie “The Electric State” cost $320 million to make, but was a poorly conceived debacle. I’m sure it was a big hit on Netflix for obvious reasons being its star power of Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt and its streamers liking new movies more than old movies in its premiering weekend. “Ash” obviously cost less money to make, because lower budget movies within the genre usually spend money wisely, and they usually have more brilliant ideas than what commercialism can bring these days. And I do try to spread that message in my reviews as much as I can.
I wanted to like “Ash” for all the right reasons I’ve mentioned, and I know it’s going to find a place in the nighttime cult movie area of the theater. But I wanted more out of it. Make it more mind-boggling and original and less like a screensaver, and you may have something here.