Long Distance

"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.

But I don't see my three stars edging up. I find myself wasting further time on this video, no it is not a movie, trying to identify some redeeming features. Maybe there's some better "CGI" later on, but I started to be sceptical from scene one where we see one boulder for no apparent reason other than the fact it appears to want to rotate faster than anyboulder else and push its siblings around in order to get to the big fat metal thing that's not where it was supposed to be. Now, it may be we learn later that this community of boulders is sentient and that's a sheepdog rock protecting its flock, that'd make an interesting plot twist, but I don't think so. Because, we're rapidly plunged into some dialogue which is simplistic and clearly supposed to be err... funny Naive, literal AI's were a tired trope several decades ago. Who writes this stuff anyway.

Spaceship was cool tho', pity they decided to crash it into the planet. Was that a spoiler? Nah, this video was spoiled long before they started filming it.

Greetings from the other side. This could have been a much better movie if the main character wasn't a coward. He screams like a little girl several times. He also runs away instead of helping 1 of 3 survivors, the only fighter, a marine.

He also runs from one trap to another constantly, and it gets boring. It's like the entire planet is trying to kill him.

They also put in stupid jokes like naming the planet, and other bits that are not funny. He also has a gun at one point and we never see it again. What happen to it?

They give him a tiny bit of goo to fix holes in the suit, but after fixing 2 little holes, it runs out? Damn, they are stingy.

The movie is watchable but could have been much better. Such a waste. There are still good bits, and it killed 90 minutes for me.

In short, it is a simple Sci-Fi flick with nothing extraordinary to offer. Don't expect anything on a grand or high scale; instead, keep your expectations at a bare average or medium level.

Typically, movies in this genre either feature intense scary elements or cutting-edge, next-level science fiction. However, this particular movie portrays space, uncharted territories, aliens, monsters, and futuristic gizmos on a moderate scale.

While the movie is entertaining, it's more of a onetime watch. It's certainly not something you'd revisit and is best suited for times when there's nothing else worth watching.

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.