Ash Blu Ray Review (Shudder / RLJE)

Ash is a 2024 sci-fi horror film composed, executive produced, and directed by Flying Lotus (V/H/S/99 and Kuso). It was written by Jonni Remmler (Das Quartett). It was executive produced by filmmaker Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium, Demonic, Gran Turismo, and Chappie). It grossed $1,083,743 worldwide during it’s limited theatrical run. Riya (played by: Eiza González from Hobbs and Shaw, Godzilla vs. Kong, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, Bloodshot, Ambulance, Cut Throat City, Alita: Battle Angel, and Baby Driver) wakes up on a distant planet and finds out that the crew of her space station has been viciously killed. She can’t remember anything but she runs into Brion (played by: Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad, El Camino, Need for Speed, Westworld, Central Intelligence, Mission Impossible III, and The Last House on the Left), they are only survivors from this disaster. Her dangerous investigation brings her closer to what really happened that sets in motion a terrifying chain of events!!!! Ash might be my favorite science fiction film of the year. It’s great mix of sci-fi and horror with a claustrophobic atmosphere to it. It covers several different sub-genres like body and monster horror. The script keeps itself mysterious and keeps the audience on their toes with it’s surprises. It’s similar to a few others in the past. Musician Flying Lotus aKa Steven Ellison just keeps getting better behind the camera. I covered V/H/S/ 99 awhile ago, that was first work that I experienced from the upcoming filmmaker and Ash is a step above that one. The talented and beautiful Eiza González gives one of her best performances so far as Riya. She has no memories and she wakes up to her entire space crew slaughtered. She’s in a panic and she’s trying discover what went wrong here. She finds out someone else is still alive, the mysterious Brion. Aaron Paul once again flexes his acting skills as the stranger that shows up during this unknown massacre. Their chemistry is kinds standoffish and it creates some excellent tension between them. Riya doesn’t really know if she can trust him or not but her memory slowly comes back and the shocking truth is revealed. The rest of the supporting cast includes Iko Uwais (The Raid franchise), Kate Elliott (The Gulf), Beulah Koale (Hawaii Five-0), Andrew B. Miller, and Flying Lotus (Game Over, Man!). The small cast really adds to it’s paranoid vibe. It’s basically a two person feature for the most part. It gets you hooked then it fully goes crazy. Ash is very brutal and violent with all kinds of gore. It has some high quality special fx during those wild moments. The editing is really interesting for Ash, it has a music video feel to it at times. The sharp visual style plus retro musical score really adds to Ash and it elevates the entire production. It definitely has an Alien influence to it. Ash has a simple concept but it keeps hitting you with twists. The flashbacks just make everything stronger once it all comes together. I’m shocked that it hasn’t gotten more love and appreciation because I feel like it’s very underrated. It’s currently streaming on Shudder if you are curious about it, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from RLJE! This 1080p (2.39:1) transfer is top notch. It’s one of the best looking features of the year so far. It has high quality cinematography, gruesome special fx, and an excellent production design that really stand out when it comes to the visuals. It has English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Audio descriptive tracks on the disc. The audio is explosive during all of the madness and the score pounds here. All of the dialogue is crisp, the suspense is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has an almost 12 minute “Interview” with director Flying Lotus. He chats about the screenplay. He talks about how he got involved with the project. He brings up Suspiria as a visual influence to this. He shares his process and the score for Ash. He shows appreciation for it’s cast and characters. It has the little over 2 minute “Creating the Costumes with Aitor Throup”. The costume designer breaks down his process on working on materials for Ash. He shares early designs and his creative thoughts on it. It has the little over a minute “The Visual Style”. It’s another chat with director Flying Lotus. He focuses on the visual elements for Ash for this quick conversation. It has the little over 5 minute “The Making of Ash”. It has interviews with Flying Lotus, Matthew Metcalfe, Nate Bolotin, Eiza Gonzales, Aaron Paul, and Kate Elliot. They chat about their experiences on this independent feature. They talk about the cast and characters from it. They go over it’s tone and vibe. They give praise to the man behind the camera Flying Lotus. It has the little over 16 minute “Behind the Scenes”. It has all kinds of footage from the set. It’s inside look into making Ash. It has a variety of “Cast and Crew Interviews” that’s around 117 minutes in total. These are extended from some of the additional extras that’s on here. It has some detailed chats with Eiza Gonzales, Aaron Paul, Matthew Metcalfe, Nate Bolotin, Beulah Koale, and Kate Elliot. It has multiple “Theatrical Teasers”. It comes with a slipcover. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!