“Ash” (2025) is an atmospheric sci‑fi horror film that dazzles visually and builds intense dread, but divides audiences with a thin, sometimes derivative story and uneven pacing. If you love mood-heavy cosmic horror and stylish space nightmares, it’s worth a watch; if you need tight plotting and deep characters, it may frustrate you.

Quick Scoop

  • Genre: Sci‑fi horror / cosmic horror in deep space, with strong body-horror flourishes.
  • Director: Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison), known for bold visuals and experimental sound.
  • Leads: Eiza González as Riya and Aaron Paul as Brion, both praised for committed, intense performances.
  • Core vibe: One-part haunted-ship mystery, one-part hallucinatory nightmare, wrapped in neon, gore, and paranoia.

Plot & Setup

Riya, an astronaut, wakes up on a remote planet with a head injury and no memory, surrounded by the mutilated bodies of her crew. As she explores the ship and landscape, she tries to reconstruct what happened and whether she is victim, culprit, or something in between.

The arrival of another traveler, Brion (Aaron Paul), turns it into a two- hander of suspicion and shifting truths. Psychedelic medical patches trigger fragmented flashbacks that reveal increasingly grotesque imagery as the film barrels toward a violent, gnarly final act.

What Works

  • Visuals & atmosphere:
    • Critics consistently praise the film’s “visually resplendent” look, with the alien planet and claustrophobic ship rendered as a beautiful, ominous nightmare.
* Cinematography, editing, and score work tightly together to create a thick sense of dread and “cosmic” unease.
  • Sound & score:
    • Flying Lotus’ sound design and music are often highlighted as standouts, especially in the last stretch where the film leans fully into horror.
* The mix of synthy textures, unsettling drones, and sharp audio cues adds to the skin-crawling tone.
  • Performances:
    • Eiza González anchors the film; reviews note her ability to balance fear, resolve, and confusion as Riya’s self-understanding shifts.
* Aaron Paul is cited as a strong, wary counterpresence, their dynamic carrying much of the emotional weight.

Where It Stumbles

  • Story & character depth:
    • Many reviews say the script never fully lives up to the setup, keeping viewers at arm’s length to preserve mystery rather than truly deepening characters.
* Some critics call it derivative and “recycled-parts” sci‑fi horror, borrowing familiar genre beats without adding enough narrative originality.
  • Pacing & structure:
    • The film is often described as front-loaded with slow, atmospheric build and back-loaded with a wild, gruesome final act.
* A few reviewers mention “false endings” and a sense that the last act overextends itself, even as individual sequences hit hard.
  • Effects & polish:
    • While the overall imagery is praised, some user and critic takes point to uneven CGI and effects that occasionally pull you out of the experience.

Critics vs Forum Buzz

Here’s how professional reviews and forum chatter tend to line up:

Aspect| Critics & outlets| Forums & user reviews
---|---|---
Visual style| “Genuinely haunting,” “visually resplendent,” high craft.157| Generally praised; many agree it looks great.36
Story & originality| Mixed; intriguing premise but derivative, thin script.1359| Some call it boring or poorly done; others defend it as “different.”346
Horror & intensity| Noted for gnarly body-horror and a strong third act.7910| Divided: some love the final 40 minutes, others feel the payoff comes too late.26
Performances| Strong praise for González and Paul.1357| Mostly positive mention of the leads, even from mixed reviews.36

On forums, you can see the split clearly: some viewers champion it as stylish, unsettling cosmic horror, while others argue it is “boring and poorly done,” leading to debates over whether critics are overpraising style over substance.

Should You Watch It?

Consider watching “Ash” if:

  1. You love visual-first genre films where mood and design matter more than airtight plotting.
  1. You’re into cosmic horror , weird body-horror, and films that lean into discomfort and paranoia.
  1. You’re curious about Flying Lotus as a genre director and enjoy bold sound/visual experiments.

You might want to skip or temper expectations if:

  • You get impatient with slow-burn setups and are only satisfied by very clear, tightly resolved stories.
  • Derivative or familiar sci‑fi horror tropes break the experience for you, even when they’re executed with flair.

Bottom line: “Ash” is a stylish, gnarly space nightmare with memorable images and strong lead performances, but it won’t convert anyone who needs story and character to hit as hard as the visuals.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.