Star Abyss

This is a rather good little flick, offering high energy, interesting characters, solid acting and a real visual flair. With a few touches of wry humor of the kind often found in 'serious' Korean movies.

The premise is particularly clever: a starship screws up what should be a routine entry into an interstellar wormhole. A journey of minutes will now take seven years - and there are only hibernation pods for four people. But that's just the start. On board you've got a pair of sexy twin assassins; a nanite-enhanced special agent; a star pilot remorseful for causing a huge disaster; a dishonest captain; and assorted refugees, law-enforcement types and one cute kid. Oh, and a horrible murderous creature that can turn itself transparent.

Mix well and present at a frenzied pace, with set-piece fights that are never repetitive, always imaginative. You've seen the individual ingredients before, but never in quite this combination.

On top of its credentials as an action film, Star Abyss is also rather beautifully shot. It has the slick grainless feel of an all-digital production, but the sets are impressive and blend imperceptibly with what have to be CG backdrops. I often found myself admiring beautifully composed shots I wouldn't normally expect to see in a simple genre film.

Okay, this isn't a work of monumental artistic merit - but it is a very slick, skillful piece of entertainment. It had me grinning right from the first scene through to the last bits of denouement presented in a window over the closing credits. If you like sci-fi and action films in general, and are willing to speed-read a few over-long subtitles, you should be very pleasantly surprised by Star Abyss.

I was not familiar with the 2024 sci-fi action thriller "Star Abyss" prior to stumbling upon it by random chance. And given my love of the Asian cinema, of course I opted to watch the movie without knowing what I was in for.

Writers Geng Liang, Wang Shuang and Xiaobei Zhang put together a script and storyline that definitely had potential. But the narrative ultimately fell through as the pacing of the movie was a bit sluggish and you sit there wondering what the purpose of the story actually was. So the writer squandered a rather potential storyline here, in my opinion.

I am sure that hardcore sci-fi fans will enjoy "Star Abyss" a lot more than I did, as a casual viewer.

I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, but the acting performances were fair, I will say that much.

There is a fair amount of action throughout the course of the 86 minutes that the movie runs for. And that definitely helped to carry the movie a great long way.

Visually then the movie was okay. It was a pretty run-of-the-mill level of special effects. And if you've seen any of the numerous creature features that have been pouring out of the Chinese cinema within the past couple of years, then you know what I mean and what kind of special effects and CGI you're in for. The effects were fair, and they did bring some enjoyment to the movie, I will say that much.

My rating of director Xiaobei Zhang's 2024 sci-fi action thriller "Star Abyss" lands on a four out of ten stars.

"Star Abyss" offers an interesting and darkly imaginative premise set in a future where humans can take interstellar trips through star gates. The film follows a space crew that finds themselves trapped in a terrifying situation when their ship is accidentally caught in the mysterious "Star Abyss." With only four out of 15 passengers able to survive by entering hibernation pods, the stakes are immediately high. Panic quickly ensues, and things take a terrifying turn when an alien monster is unleashed, leading to a tense battle for survival.

The premise of being trapped in a deadly, unknown abyss creates an eerie and claustrophobic atmosphere, which keeps viewers on edge throughout. The desperation among the characters, combined with the dangerous manipulation of the alien creature, adds layers of psychological tension to the film.

While "Star Abyss" offers some genuinely cool fight scenes and moments of intense action, where the characters try to fend off both the alien monster and each other, the real strength lies in the moral dilemmas and survival instincts that emerge during the chaos. These elements keep you invested as alliances shift and betrayals unfold.

However, while the film delivers some standout moments of suspense and action, certain character arcs could have been explored more deeply, and the pacing sometimes falters in between key scenes. Despite this, "Star Abyss" successfully immerses viewers in its dark, sci-fi world, and fans of space survival films will appreciate the thrill of the story's twists and the gripping fight for survival.

If you're a fan of interstellar sci-fi thrillers with a focus on survival, tension, and chaotic space battles, "Star Abyss" is worth checking out. It's a thrilling ride that combines cool action sequences with high-stakes human drama.