Outpost

Quite touching and really good visuals.

I don't usually review shorts or any kind of movie. I don't usually care about sci-fi shorts anyway, as they rarely have strong characters and get their execution fouled up, even if the premise is good.

The Outpost, or "Citizen" as it should be re-titled, was actually really good on all counts. The actress was attractive and quirky, the actor was earnest and clearly both gave it their all. The storyline is simple yet effective. This is classic romantic sci-fi such as audiences once found in Forbidden Planet or Oblivion, with enough awe inspiring mysteries to pull a wide audience in.

The premise here is solid and the execution is actually downright cinematic. This was a surprisingly good if simple story, and given how contrasting the one other IMDB review is from nearly all youtube commenters, I felt the crew deserved some praise on this site. I hope more sci-fi like this short come out.

I was pleasantly surprised by the level of expertise that went into this short feature. The visuals were solid and the effects were not over-done. One of the pluses was the actors. Both were competent and appealing and the chemistry between them was very good.

The film did not try to do too much: having a dramatic event and an arc of a relationship was plenty to keep the viewer engaged. In fact, my only real "minus" was that I was left wanting more exploration of the characters (you can do only so much in the 17-minutes of running time). In short, I recommend this movie to anyone who likes a bit of romance with their Sci-fi.

Outpost is a beautifully crafted sci-fi short that delivers emotion, suspense, and world-building far beyond its runtime. I can't believe what was achieved on the films budget. The visual effects are incredible! The relationship between Gordon and Aria, is heartfelt and layered, anchoring the story in genuine stakes. The mystery of "the beyond" and the sudden alien threat feel like the beginning of something much larger. It has all the makings of a phenomenal series or full-length feature-rich lore, emotional depth, and cinematic tension. It's a real shame it never got picked up for expansion. This story truly deserves more.