When it comes to movies, I believe that execution is more important than originality. That's not to say that telling a unique story isn't important, I just feel that proficiency in delivering whatever vision the filmmakers had for the movie they made tends to be the top deciding factor in whether something works or not. Flying Lotus' second feature directorial effort Ash is the perfect example of this take in action.
Narratively, Ash contains zero surprises. It more or less puts The Thing, Alien and Event Horizon in a blender with some really fucking strong psychedelics as it weaves the tale of an astronaut (Eiza Gonzalez) stationed on a distant planet who wakes up to find her whole crew (Iko Uwais, Beulah Koale, Flying Lotus) dead with zero reelection as to how it occurred and another astronaut (Aaron Paul)-who claims to be responding to a distress call that she made-knocking on the door of the ship's airlock. Gonzalez's character-who is haunted by fragmented visions of her crew's deaths and struggling to trust that Paul's character is who says he is-spends the first 2/3's of the movie in detective mode until all is revealed in a third act that delivers the onslaught of goopy, cosmic body horror that anybody who sat down to watch Ash signed up for.
Like any good director would, Flying Lotus gets in the kitchen and adds a whole lot of seasoning that makes Ash's standard issue sci-fi horror plot feel a lot more exciting than it would've been in the hands of a more traditional chef. He gets right down to the business in the opening frames, establishing a disorienting nightmarish atmosphere via unorthodox shots that are exploding with a wide array of bold colors, intricate production design that completely immerses the viewer into its setting of a heavily damaged spaceship stuck on an unknown desolate planet that appears to have some form of alien life on it and an abrasive industrial score that he composed himself that mimics the confused, terrified headspace Gonzalez's character is in. Eventually, the answers to who/what was behind the dead bodies onboard the space station is revealed, and the movie goes from disorienting to pure gory chaos. This shift in register gives the film's gnarly, badass creature effects the chance to shine throug, which adds a layer of unnerving urgency to the film's viscerally uneasy mood. A full-time musician who makes movies on the side directing with this much skill and passion may be a different brand of alien shit than what he appears on screen in Ash, but it deserves to be celebrated just the same.
After watching this crazy little mood piece in theaters, I'll happily follow FlyLo to whatever dark, weird corner of filmmaking he wants to explore next. He directs with a natural ease, particularly when it comes to creating striking visuals and stomach-turning unease, that's pretty rare in this industry. While it's definitely too soon to declare if he has "the juice" or not, Ash could very well be the movie that marks the start of a special directorial career.
Grade: B
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