Prospect

Thoroughly enjoyable: a lean, tense, slow burn sci-fi film that builds to an exciting crescendo.

It's a story about a father and daughter who go to an alien planet to do some prospecting. That's all you need to know, and should know, as there are some plot twists that should be left unspoiled. Trust me.

The movie's well directed and written, besides some clunky dialogue in spots, and the world is artfully rendered. It's made on a budget, so there aren't any extravagant sets or creatures, but it does feature lived in, authentic looking technology and an atmospheric alien environment (reminiscent of Annihilation, but a tad more Alien).

The performances were all very good, Sophie Thatcher and Pedro Pascal, being the standouts.

If I had to describe it, I'd say Prospect is an old-fashioned western set in space, with a touch of 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' (another movie about prospectors). And though it's no Star-Wars, or Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Prospect IS a very good movie. Well worth a watch.

I found this movie to be a true diamond in the rough, though I had zero knowledge of it prior to seeing it so I wasn't expecting anything one way or the other. I'd definitely recommend everyone experiencing this film the same way, because I can see how it might create unreasonable or inaccurate expectations.

It's a slow burner. Which plays very, very well into the suspenseful undertones. You wont see much in the way of flashy FX or over-the-top action typical in your average Hollywood films. You will, however, be greeted with a well-paced movie that doesn't trip over itself or try to barrage you with a deluge of lore. And you'll also be greeted with solid acting coupled with an intriguing setting. It's also very easy on the eyes, I absolutely loved the color filtering they applied. It's not overpowering but is just 'off-center' enough to stoke that otherworldly feel.

I've seen an absurd number of films. The great ones in my mind are the ones that have stood out, the ones I still remember, the ones I'd be more than happy to watch again. This is one of those films.

Modern science fiction films are, mostly, not really science fiction at all. Most of it is really space-fantasy, with laser cannons, explosions, space craft zipping around, fantastic monsters/aliens, etc. None of that is found in "Prospect." This film is grounded in a gritty reality that is extremely believable, more so than in any science fiction film I can remember seeing. In the novel world, stories that stick to some semblance of known scientific fact are known as "hard" sci-fi. Now, to be fair, there isn't a lot of science on display in "Prospect" - it's mostly action, but I will take what I can get! In case you can't tell, I've very much in favour of there being more films like this out there.

I very grudgingly rate this a 7 instead of an 8 or higher mostly for technical / production reasons, that are perhaps in turn due to budget compromises. Special effects, music, and perhaps a bit of the acting was a little b-movie at times. But I quickly got over it and was sucked into the story.

Also Star Wars writers take note: the main female character "Cee" is someone that the audience really roots for by the end of the film. Why? Because instead of being all knowing and all powerful right from the start, her character develops. Some of the characterization was a little lean, and I felt another 10 minutes of screen time devoted to fleshing out the father would have really helped the film, but these are minor nitpicks. Give us more films like this, please!

Prospect is a slow burn of a film. It's the kind of film that asks for a viewer who is willing to appreciate the subtle but deft world-building and peculiarly literate dialog. This is not cheap-thrills scifi, but neither is it navel gazing pedantry. It's a clear story of an often tense struggle in a treacherous and foreign setting.

It is slow, but it is not a slog; on the contrary I found it to be very well-paced. We're never in one place very long, either literally or narratively.

All the acting is good to very good. The photography is excellent. The budget (~3mil) was used well and I found all the props, costumes and effects to be really quite convincing.

I'm glad I took a chance with this one. It paid off.

A minimalist sci-fi film, you're just thrown into it without an introduction to this future's world, but it isn't complicated so you catch on. Follows a girl and her dad. Not a lot of special effects, but even with the low budget it still had some beautiful scenery. Space and planets don't seem so alien like so it has familiar feel to it, even the technology doesn't seem far off. It feels like what would've happened if we properly figured out space travel in the 80's especially when you look at the marred tech; Space X has fancier ships just for a quick run to orbit present-day. It's not story or plot heavy but has good narration to keep you interested, wouldn't say it's slow paced but it's in no rush; could've easily been 30min longer or shorter.

Reminds me of a more recent movie, Vesper. They both tell a story of no consequence, based in a vast universe but focusing on only a small part of it. The events that occur, good or bad, won't change anything in the grand scheme of things so stakes are high only for the characters the story focuses on. Usually a story that would be a side plot, filler episode in a sci-fi series, or one off movie in an already established franchise. In a way the premise also reminds me of Gold.

It's definitely not a movie for everyone, especially those who look for the grandiose when it comes to sci-fi. It won't blow your mind away, doesn't leave a huge impression but I still think it's a nice, very little indie sci-fi film.