Sci-fi horror is the ultimate combo and no one can convince me otherwise. In fact, if you asked me to name my all-time favorite franchise, “Alien” would be right at the top, no question.
It set the gold standard for space terror and nothing will ever take its place. So when I first saw the trailer for the sci-fi flick called “Ash,” I couldn’t help but be curious given my intense passion for the genre.
“Ash,” in a few simple words, is a neon-soaked thrill ride that made me feel a little delirious once it finished. It centers around an astronaut who wakes up alone on a deserted space station with no memory of what happened to her crew. From there, she must try to piece together the mystery. It’s a simple premise, really.
But this is one to go in with zero expectations, because once you think you’ve got a grasp on where “Ash” is headed, it completely derails those thoughts. While its experimental nature may be divisive to some (just look at its Rotten Tomatoes score), I think it’s a solid watch, and one worth adding to your watchlist now that it’s on Shudder and PVOD platforms like Amazon and Apple.
If you’re a fan of horror-thrillers set in space or just looking for a wild experience on Shudder, “Ash” is a perfect pick. Here’s why it deserves your time now that it’s streaming.
What is ‘Ash’ about?
“Ash” follows Riya (Eiza González), an astronaut who awakens alone on a remote space station orbiting a distant planet. She quickly discovers that her entire crew is dead under mysterious circumstances, and her own memory is fragmented, making it difficult to piece together what happened.
As Riya explores the eerie, dimly lit station, she encounters Brion (Aaron Paul), a man who claims to have come to rescue her. Together, they attempt to unravel the cause behind the crew’s demise.
However, Riya’s fragmented recollections and growing suspicion about Brion’s intentions create a tense and uncertain dynamic between them. The space station itself is filled with malfunctioning systems and unexplained phenomena, increasing the danger at every turn.
‘Ash’ is a visual treat with plenty of dark moments
I’d easily buy the idea that “Ash” began as a music video for Flying Lotus that was later expanded into a full-length movie. The movie’s pacing and vibe have that loose, experimental feel you often see in music videos, as it drifts between moments, sometimes focusing on story, other times just soaking in striking, surreal imagery.
Flying Lotus, who wrote and directed the movie, mixes a small-scale sci-fi drama with bursts of intense, sometimes unsettling scenes. The result is less a conventional story and more a mood piece that invites you to experience its world without the usual narrative rules holding it back.
González pretty much carries this movie on her shoulders. From the opening moments of waking up on the floor to blaring red lights, then navigating the eerie space station and the brutalized corpses in her path, she holds your attention completely.
She portrays fear and confusion so convincingly that you genuinely feel for her being trapped in such a horrific situation.
“Ash” is genuinely so impressive in terms of its mind-bending visuals and soundtrack. Flying Lotus creates a world that feels dreamlike and disorienting, soaked in neon reds, purples, and eerie shadows. It reminded me of “Prometheus” meets “Annihilation,” but run through a blender of fever-dream surrealism.
There’s also gnarly practical gore and textured effects that make the horror feel real. I guarantee that pausing the frame at any second will give you something visually pleasing.
Aside from the look of this movie and a strong performance from González, the story is where “Ash” loses a few points. It plays with some really familiar sci-fi horror ideas (like amnesia, mysterious deaths, and a stranger who may or may not be trustworthy), and doesn’t really do much to push them in a new direction.
The pacing is painfully slow in the middle section, and I wish González had a stronger script to work with, because it felt as though she was being held back.
Basically, if you’re going in for the visuals and atmosphere, you’ll have a great time. But if you’re hoping for a tightly written, emotionally rich story, this one might leave you cold. Either way, it’s some intense stuff.
You can stream ‘Ash’ on Shudder now
“Ash” had a pretty limited run in theaters, so there’s a good chance it slipped under the radar for a lot of people. That makes its arrival on Shudder the perfect opportunity to finally check it out.
What Flying Lotus does is take a familiar setup and twist it into something totally his own. The movie plays out like a brutal, cinematic version of a space survival game, where the tension builds alongside the strange, atmospheric score that never lets you get too comfortable. Watching it feels a bit like being pulled into a surreal void.
“Ash” has a respectable 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site’s critic consensus reading: “Flying Lotus' Ash delivers the phantasmagorical goods with vivid visuals and a throbbing soundscape, elevating a predictable sci-fi story into a memorably stylish head-trip.” Audiences rated it lower at 55% for its pacing issues and weak plot, which are points I can’t really disagree with.
So, if you’re in the mood for something that looks incredible, plays with your expectations, and isn’t quite like anything else streaming right now, “Ash” is worth the watch on Shudder. For more streaming recommendations, see the top new movies to stream this week.
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