Ash (2025) Review
While there is a certain beauty to “Ash” it maybe questionable if it has the substance you’d want or expect.
[Unless Said Otherwise] Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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“Ash” Film Details
| Runtime | 1 Hour(s) and 35 Minutes |
| Release Date (Theatrically) | March 19, 2025 |
| How To Watch | In Theaters |
| Advisory (MPAA) Film Rating | Rated R |
| Genre(s) | Action, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller |
| Director(s) | Flying Lotus |
| Writer(s) | Jonni Remmler |
| Distributor | RLJE Films |
Summary
When Riya wakes up, her crew is dead. Some from blunt force trauma and stabbing, and with her also dealing with head injuries, her memory of what happened and why is in pieces. What doesn’t help is that she is on a foreign planet, in the one structure that can sustain life, and the oxygen levels are dropping. Now, thankfully, Brion has come to help after the structure stopped communicating, but after seeing what happened, he is torn between what Riya may have witnessed, if not done, and their need to escape back to a space station orbiting the planet.
Cast and Character(s)
Riya (Eiza González)
Riya is a scientist who finds herself joining a crew meant to find a new planet for humanity, at the cost of knowing they will likely never return to Earth. This challenge, which leads to stimulating questions worth answering, is just what Riya strives for, and it excites her. However, she never prepared for the potential life living on the planets her crew could be sent to and whether or not they would seek to protect their home.
- The actor is also known for their role in “3 Body Problem.”
Brion (Aaron Paul)
Brion works, not on the ground, but in a communications space station, which orbits the planet. His main task is ensuring information gathered on the ground can eventually be sent back home, so the decision-makers can devise a plan for humanity. But, if things go wrong, he isn’t against landing on the planet and checking things out, which he might regret.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Eye in the Sky.”
Other Noteworthy Information
- There is a mid-credits scene to set up a potential sequel.
Review
Highlight(s)
The Cinematography [82/100]
One of the things that initially drew us to “Ash” was the cinematography. In some ways, similar to Natalie Portman’s “Annihilation” and the “Shimmer” world within it, there is a beauty and almost brutality that captures you. Which I know sounds far more artsy than how we usually see things, but even in a standard HD movie theater, there was something about the way the world of “Ash” depicted the planet and the threats on it, which made the slower moments something you can appreciate vs. feel were filler.
The Gore & Horror Element [83/100]
With that said, the gore and horror elements will likely be the main selling points for most. With Riya’s memory unreliable and fractured, sudden flashes of someone being murdered or visions of a corpse are shocking to the point of jerking back in your chair. These jump scares, of which there are only a few, are one of the few examples of the film trying to get you into what happened in a way that could get you hooked.
On The Fence
The Story & Your Investment In Characters [74/100]
Unfortunately, “Ash” is the kind of movie that has stronger visuals than it does characters or a story. This is especially troubling because “Ash” is a sci-fi horror. Yet, on top of rarely feeling like the lead’s life is seriously threatened, in terms of their team, who you know are dead, little to nothing is done to significantly build them up so you would have any reason to mourn them.
It is thrown out there that Riya was dating one of them, but there is a lack of notable intimacy between them in flashbacks to at least mourn what Riya lost, and as individuals, none of their deaths feel like they ultimately matter. Then, expanding beyond Riya’s team, even with the establishment of multiple groups seeking new homes for humanity, there isn’t a drive to be curious about what humanity has discovered or the technology used to get this far.
All “Ash” often does is give you something to look at and while there is beauty and shock to a lot of it, unfortunately the story and characters don’t follow that up to make it so “Ash” has something to offer beyond the superficial.
Overall
Our Rating (79/100): Mixed (Divisive)
The main issue “Ash” has is that it relies more on the star power, if not name recognition, of Eiza González and Aaron Paul than having you invested in who their characters are, who they work with, and what they are going through. Because of that, “Ash” may look pretty, and I’m sure many will appreciate the score and gore, but ultimately, it is a forgettable film. One that is worthy of applause for the people who made it getting it done, but not so much in making something that deserves to be referenced or seen more than once.
Movie Contains
| Dialog | Cursing (Rare) |
| Violence | Gore, Blood, Notable Fight Scenes |
| Sexual Content | Nothing Notable |
| Miscellaneous | Depiction of Corpses, Body Horror |
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