Flying Lotus’ sci-fi horror ‘Ash’ receives mixed reviews: “Too derivative to be effective”

nme.com:

Flying Lotus’ new sci-fi horror movie Ash has received some mixed reviews from critics, with many appreciating its visual style but finding the narrative lacking.Directed by the producer, DJ and rapper, Ash follows Riya Ortiz (Ambulance and 3 Body Problem star Eiza González), who wakes up on a distant planet’s space station to find her crew brutally murdered, and no memory of how it happened.

She investigates, meeting a man named Brion (Aaron Paul), setting off a terrifying chain of events.It’s already received mixed feedback from critics.

In a three-star review of the film, Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting commended Ash for its “vibrant imagery, visual worldbuilding, and visceral horror,” calling it a “gnarly sci-fi freakout movie that could double as a visual survival horror concept album thanks to Flying Lotus’ immersive earworm score.”Collider gave the film a rating of 6 out of 10, with Nate Richard writing: “Ash feels too familiar, which is disappointing coming from such an idiosyncratic filmmaker like Flying Lotus.

This material feels like it’s too derivative to be effective, but the video game-like atmosphere, bonkers direction, and reliable cast make it far more watchable.”Robert Kojder of Flickering Myth was more critical, with his two-star review stating that Ash is “ultimately sluggish and dull.” He wrote: “It needed something beyond a slow-burning, lifeless investigation into the ship or vague details about their mission and the planet her team was setting out to colonize.