FILM REVIEWS:
ASH (USA 2025) **
Directed by Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison)
ASH is a 2025 horror sci-fi space modern thriller. ASH is directed by Flying Lotus (aka Steven Ellison), written by Jonni Remmler, starring Eiza González (as Riya) and Aaron Paul (as Brion) .
Riya regains consciousness aboard a space station on the eponymous planet Ash (from which the film is titled) surrounded by the bodies of her dead crewmates—but she cannot remember what had happened.
A man named Brion arrives, who Riya almost stabs (false scares), claiming to be her rescuer. But as she battles amnesia and terrifying flashbacks, Riya must decide whether he can be trusted—and whether she played a hand in the massacre.
The film plays like a psychological puzzle: part mystery, part body‑horror survival, heavily inspired by video games like Dead Space, Resident Evil, and films like Alien and The Thing.
But ASH is nothing that audiences have not heard or seen before - all of what transpires comes from the many such films in the genre.
Take, for example, the film’s dialogue: System failure! Reboot! Stand by! Abnormal activity detected. Oxygen level compromised. These are words heard on the soundtrack of ASH. These are standard words heard only too often, clichéd in countless space movies, even in TV series like STAR TREK and LOST IN SPACE.
The film also contains flashing lights that can be annoying that hardly reveal what is in the films’ frame, and odd sounds that no-one can decipher where or what they are - all of which could be described as stylish or confusing. There are also too many similar nightmare sequences combined with jump scares.
Nothing much happens in this slow burn of a horror mystery space thriller which suffers mainly from a weak narrative and stylized visuals that make matters all the more confusing. At the time of writing, ASH has 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is best to take this rating with a grain of salt.
The best thing about the film is an imagining of what space exploration on another planet is like. Perhaps in the future, when spacecraft take humans to other planets, the same atmosphere could be experienced. The film also shows that with beauty comes the accompanying dangers.
The film’s second half turns into a bit of psychological thriller. Is Riya losing her memory or can she trust herself? She has already lost some of her memory and she gets flashbacks of what had happened to hr crew. She is also faced with he dilemma of whether to abort the mission or to continue it for the sake of mankind.
The film is to be credited with some stunning visual effects, both the exterior of he spaceship as well as the interiors shot largely in red. The soundtrack features a pounding and occasional plunking piano score. Special effects remind one of ALIEN and THE THING.
It is good to note that the director claims that his film is made for gamers.
ASH opens for streaming on Shudder, the horror streaming service June 16th.
Trailer:
