Long Distance

Looked this up after seeing a well-timed review column about it on a gaming/media news site when I needed some afternoon amusement.

If you go in expecting 90 minutes of relatively lighthearted, brain off but not insulting popcorn sci fi that doesn't overreach, you'll be entertained for said 90 minutes and leave satisfied. I'd equate it to comfort food at a chain restaurant.

Tropes? Sure, but not egregious. A few pop culture references sprinkled in? Yup, but not clubbing you over the head with them repeatedly. Just mildly wholesome B+ grade space opera with characters that didn't make me hate them, which so many productions seem to have these days in the interest of being "deep".

Honestly left me wishing it was a setup for yet another space survival crafting game, though we all know how movie tie-in games turn out. So I'll be content that it was definitely worth streaming on a quiet "what do I do with the next few hours" afternoon.

A mining spaceship gets hit by a meteorite and crashes onto an uncharted hostile planet. Lower level crew member Andy Ramirez (Anthony Ramos) and Naomi Calloway (Naomi Scott) are two survivors.

There is some action and some thrills. It's a creature feature. The creatures are good solid CGI creations. My biggest problem is that I don't really like Andy. He's a scared idiot for most of the movie. He gets a gun-like device, but nobody ever uses it for some reason. He's just not the brightest light in the room and that gets frustrating. It's a simple little sci-fi with creatures. It would be fine but Andy annoys me.

"Long Distance," also known as "Distant" is a movie with a lot of potential but unfortunately fails to meet expectations. The quality of the film is inconsistent. While the beginning is strong and the ending is excellent, the lengthy and boring middle section falls far short of the quality one would expect from a good movie. The only consistently high-quality aspect throughout the film is its special effects.

The story follows an asteroid miner whose ship crash-lands on an uncharted planet. He discovers that he is not the only survivor and that the planet's harsh environment is inhabited by various aggressive alien species. With oxygen running low and accompanied by a malfunctioning AI, he embarks on a long journey to rescue another survivor trapped in her escape pod.

The influences of space sci-fi blockbusters and successful TV series are evident in this movie, with nods to "Prometheus," "Riddick," "Pitch Black," and "Lost in Space." However, this isn't necessarily a drawback, as the film also introduces some original ideas not seen in other space sci-fi stories. The storyline is simple but effective, the action scenes are captivating, and the cinematography is excellent.

Unfortunately, the acting is subpar, particularly in the middle section. The main character is portrayed as annoyingly foolish and overly hysterical, while the supporting characters don't fare much better. Additionally, I found myself disliking Naomi Scott's voice during her radio transmissions. It almost feels as though the middle section was directed by someone aiming to turn "Long Distance" into a low-grade comedy, in stark contrast to the rest of the film, which aspires to be a high-quality action sci-fi movie.

I was expecting pretty low budget effects, but I have to say I thought the film looked good, aliens, atmosphere, everything. I genuinely enjoyed the movie.

The people who made this movie delivered an interesting final product and didn't try to reinvent the wheel, it's pure entertainment.

There's not much to the plot. The main character crash lands on an unknown planet and has to cross the hostile environment to reach another survivor. The main character doesn't have much at his disposal aside from a dwindling air supply and an AI assistant.

Overall, worth a watch. It's a nice movie. The low ratings are all misleading.

While in the Netherlands I had the pleasure of catching this movie, and after watching it I was surprised it has not gotten a broader release. I looked online and learned it had only a minimal release as of the time I wrote this review and unfortunately, Universal Pictures doesn't have it on its release schedule. It's sad because it was a breath of fresh air and well worth a watch if you can find it.

It started with a great opening that hooked me right away. I really enjoyed the "AI" or computer interaction with the main character from the very beginning. It had a sort of detached caring combined with a lack of empathy, which made for a hilarious combo. I think it may be the fastest I've ever laughed after starting a movie. The sarcasm was epic and I loved it.

The movie progressed nicely and held my interest throughout. It's not breaking any new ground with regard to the general plot line, but the execution was funny and had enough action to maintain a good pace. I would like to see more movies like this. If you like sci-fi comedy with action, you should enjoy this one enough.