Electronic musician Flying Lotus returns to the silver screen with his latest sci-fi-horror film “Ash”. The film made its world premiere at the SXSW film festival and opened wide on March 21.
The film follows Riya as she awakens in her space station on a foreign planet called Ash, and discovers her entire crew has been killed in a brutal bloodbath. Riya is forced to uncover the mystery of what has happened to her crew mates and also discover the secrets that haunt the planet she is trapped in.
“Ash” is the type of film that knows how to use vibe and tone to its advantage. There is a lot of spectacle in how the film is crafted and sequenced. There is a psychedelic feel to the lighting in the space station, at times feeling like more a nightclub than anything else. The use of lighting plays into the disorienting feeling that Riya is going through as she navigates the horrors of the space station. Director Flying Lotus also developed the film’s score, a score that effectively adds to the film’s energy, elevating the sci-fi elements to the next level. These elements of filmmaking are the strongest parts of “Ash,” making the intense moments more grueling and the quieter moments more atmospheric.
Spectacle can only carry a film so far. The story takes a slow-burn approach when revealing answers to its audiences. The script itself can come off as a bit incoherent and if audiences are not entirely invested with what is happening on screen, then following along with the film’s mythology can be challenging. Lead actors Eiza González and Aaron Paul do what they can to add to the screenplay, but the film does not have much for them to work with. It often seems that the film does not know how to utilize Aaron Paul’s abilities in a way to make the film any more engaging.
“Ash” is a film that operates in a lot of the same lineage as “Alien” or “Event Horizon”. It has a lot of the same atmospheric horror but does a good job of using jarring jump scares ever so often to spice up the tension. “Ash” is not afraid to get graphic with its violence, especially during the film’s final act. For the most part, the film is intense and moody, but can also be quite gross with its use of alien-related body horror.
“Ash” is a serviceable science fiction B-movie and will satisfy fans of the genre, especially as it dials in on the horror aspects. It is admirable how good the movie looks and feels considering how small of a budget the film had. That being said, the story within “Ash” is not doing anything audiences have not already seen before. As a filmmaker, Flying Lotus shows promise, he certainly has an eye for horror and intriguing visuals.