ASTRO

Released: June 2018

Director: Asif Akbar

Run Time: 104 Minutes

Not Rated

Distributor: Sony Pictures

Genre: Science Fiction/Action

Cast:
Gary Daniels: Jack Adams
Marshal Hilton: Alexander Biggs
Courtney Akbar: Laura Lee Adams
Max Wasa: Vivian
Louis Mandylor: Victor Khol
Michael Pare: Allen Smith
Dominique Swain: Julie Adams

Good science fiction isn’t always about people shooting each other with ray guns or being chased by ugly alien creatures.  It can involve that, but that’s generally not what good science fiction involves.  Good science fiction is more about ideas and exploration of our existence and universe.  Some of the best science fiction films don’t have a lot of action.  2001: A Space Odyssey is a perfect example, because it’s less about action and more about telling a story through visuals and music.  The ideas presented in that film were heavily researched and some of what that film predicted has come to pass.  Some hasn’t, but that’s neither here nor there.  The point is, is that science fiction is less about how we perceive our universe and more about how we see ourselves in the universe.  That being said, I certainly won’t turn down explosions or some serious ass-kicking in a sci-fi movie.  The movie I bring to you today is an upcoming science fiction action film called Astro.

The film’s story begins as a group of mysterious men approach Jack Adams’ ranch.  Allen Smith, the head of the group, asks Jack Adams to join a former comrade, Alexander Biggs, in a mysterious new venture.  After being assaulted by a group of masked men, Jack and his daughter Laura escape to a nearby hotel and call Jack’s brother for help.  Making sure his daughter is safe, Jack decides to take up Alex on his offer and is shown things he never thought possible, including a member of mysterious new humanoid alien from a newly discovered planet.  Realizing that Alex may have ulterior motives other than exploration, Jack must try to find a way to stop Alex and get back to his daughter.  The story is pretty straight-forward and without any real twists and turns.  That’s actually a pretty good thing.  You really don’t need to complicate a science fiction film with bizarre film-making tactics.  Let the story evolve on its own and it will become complex if it needs to.  While I can’t say that I haven’t seen a story like this before, I can say that I can see the passion behind the scenes about the story and the concept behind the story.  I think if the film had a larger budget they could have made something more of the story.  As it is, it’s actually pretty involving and is more about the idea of family than I was expecting.  Well played, movie.  I’m not sure about that ending though, but I’ll talk about that a bit later.

Gary Daniels is no stranger to direct-to-video films.  A lot of his films have gone straight to video, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re all that bad.  Some are, but that happens.  While Daniels is clearly looking his age, he has lost none of his step.  The man is an expert martial artist and kick-boxer, so he can definitely handle himself in the action sequences.  Marshal Hilton plays Alexander Biggs, a former soldier that served with Jack Adams in the 90s.  I have to say that Mr. Hilton does a pretty good job at playing a fairly arrogant and self-absorbed billionaire.  Courtney Akbar plays Jack’s daughter Laura, and while she isn’t terrible, I’m pretty certain that anyone could have been cast in the role and it would have been just the same.  Louis Mandylor plays Victor Khol, a mysterious person who has some particular interest in Jack Adams as well as Alex Biggs’ current projects.  I have to say, this is the first time that I’ve seen Spice Williams outside of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.  Spice Williams also choreographed some of the film’s fight sequences.

While the action sequences in the film are decent enough, they aren’t the main focus of the film, which considering its low-budget indie nature, is a huge risk, and one that I feel pays off…..mostly.  A lot of the fights don’t last long, but they do hit pretty hard.  The one fight that I found curiously interesting was the fight scene where Jack is trying to protect the alien.  I can’t say that it’s completely awful, but it’s very bizarre, especially the knife-fight with the big guy.  Thankfully, a lot of the stunts don’t involve wires, which is also unusual in a film like this, so there is an element of realism here.

Now, some of the make-up work in the film is fairly….pedestrian.  Look, I understand that the film is of a low-budget nature and there have to be some sacrifices in certain departments, but I’m sure they could have come up with some better make-up for the alien than what we ended up getting.  Honestly, he looks like a cheap knock-off of the Na’vi from James Cameron’s Avatar.  I’m sure that wasn’t the intent, but that’s how it looks.  The blood effects are pretty convincing though.  Most of the CGI is limited to a few shots of a space-ship and let me tell you….ouch.  The spaceship CGI is on par with some of the early PlayStation video games.  That being said, some of the visual effects definitely work pretty well.  Again, Astro is a low-budget film, so I can forgive a lot of things here.

Astro is clearly an attempt at kick-starting a new science fiction franchise of sorts.  I absolutely admire the audacity and ambition of the filmmakers, but I have to be honest: The way the film ended struck me as pretty clumsy and blatant sequel-baiting.  I don’t like cliffhanger endings in science fiction movies, unless the follow-up film is not far off.  But I’m not entirely certain I see Astro getting a sequel anytime soon.  I guess time will tell and the audience’s reaction will determine that.  Honestly, I hope there is a sequel.  The ideas that are presented in the film are kind of wild and very interesting actually.  I just think they need a little more time to really work on the visual effects and certain story elements.  If they can do that, there’s a possibility that a sequel could outdo this one in every way.  That’s what I’m hoping for at least.  For a low-budget indie sci-fi picture, Astro mostly delivers, but falters in certain areas.  But overall, I would say it’s worth a look.

My Final Recommendation: 7/10.

Official Trailer: