sfseth
The first 1/4 or so hit me as laborious, I found one character just simply annoying, but I stuck with it to the end and I'm glad I did. Prior reviewer's comparison to Moon seem spot-on, except this is a much smaller film. And I might add to that, conceptually similar to Moon, and then there's almost a bit of the video game Portal mixed into the backstory. As I got into it, it started to remind me a little Mamet-ish style, like Oleanna maybe, claustrophobic and in-your-face drama where the surroundings reveal themselves very slowly and with quite a bit of tension (ie, I found myself constantly picturing the stories they're *not* telling you about how they got there). It's films like this and Moon, really with a cast of just 3, that remind me how large casts dilute, there's an intensity a good small cast brings. For anyone into a small film that's a challenging drama and a little time-dystopian sci- fi, I'd definitely recommend.
eddie_baggins
The first feature length sojourn of Skybound, the group behind the universally successful Walking Dead comics, TV show and all subsequent run-offs, Air (featuring TWD's very own Norman Reedus) is an at first engaging and tense low budget Sci-fi that sadly descends down a rabbit hole of increasingly uninteresting and questionable scenarios.First time director Christian Cantamessa (the man who wrote the fantastic video game Red Dead Redemption) certainly hasn't given himself an easy first feature to win out on with Air's plot almost exclusive focusing on the maintenance workers of Djimon Hounsou's Cartwright and Reedus's Bauer, who like his Daryl in TWD is still in need of a long overdue haircut.Like any film that sets itself around a confined space and a confined cast, say like a Moon or Buried, Air has to fight to keep viewers' attention almost entirely through things not seen and engaging acting and while Hounsou and Reedus share some form of chemistry it's not enough to carry the film potentially ripe idea to levels that could've made Air a must see Sci-Fi yarn.The central idea that Air basis's itself around of our air supply being tarnished by a range of natural of man-made causes with humankinds last hope a group of Noah's Ark like underground facilities with pods of long term sleeping humans is an interesting one and whilst familiar in many senses does seem somewhat fresh but Cantamessa and his co-writer Chris Pasetto can't wring enough out of their limited budget supply on top notch dialogue to take the idea to fresh places.Small moments and a quality opening half make Air something more than a non-event but this is certainly a forgettable start of Skybound's foray into Hollywood movies. Cantamessa seems like a young filmmaker with some talent and it'd be great to see him go on with his efforts here while Reedus is lucky he has Daryl to fall back on and poor old Hounsou is still chasing a role of the same quality he found in Blood Diamond and In America.2 ½ long past due haircuts out of 5
NateWatchesCoolMovies
Air is a neat little post apocalyptic thriller full of loneliness, claustrophobia, paranoia and two really great lead performances from Norman Reedus and Djimon Hounsou. The two of them play custodians of sorts, in a cramped underground bunker. The world above is bereft of oxygen, forcing humanity to go into cryogenic hibernation. They exist in solitary down there, simple caretakers surrounded by earth's best and brightest scientists, all in silent slumber, leaving the two of them to go mad in the presence of both each other, and their memories. Reedus is Bauer, the slick loudmouth, a somewhat callous man who cares not for the sleeping scholars, his personality calcified into brittle cynicism by time and tragedy. Hounsou is a bit more soulful as Cartwright, haunted by waking visions of his deceased wife (Sandrine Holt) and morally torn when the big bad decisions of the character arc come his way. He believes what they are doing is important, while Bauer could give a crap. Soon there's trouble, and when they venture to a nearby bunker for spare parts, terrible secrets are uncovered and the shaky bond of trust between them starts to disintegrate. The film relies on its two lead actors who are both solid, especially Reedus, whose intensity ramps up in the third act to an unbearable level as secrets of his past are gradually revealed. It's obviously low budget, and as such the special effects and machinery look like they've wandered in from a Roger Corman movie at times, but it kinda works and gives the atmosphere a 'lived in', organic feel. The plot gets murky and could have done with a bit more simplicity as it trips on itself in attempts to be complex, but it's still character based at its core, and in that regard it succeeds nicely. See it for its two stars, who are given a nice dystopian arena to play in, and tell a story through emotional beats, personal crisis and mounting unease quite well.
orcadiansmeghead
Can I say first off, that my wife came into the room when I was about 30 minutes into this and I managed to convince her for 10 minutes that it was the new episode of the Walking Dead - oh how we laughed when she discovered my joke.To save you all from watching this, I can sum the film up for you in a few sentences.The guy who plays Daryl out of off of The Walking Dead takes a break from the series for about 15 minutes, and goes over the road to another studio where someone has set up as a 'delapidated basement plant room' set. Also, the main guy out of off of Amistad and whatever else he's been in does the same.There, they play two scruffy air conditioning engineers who wake up six months out of cryogenic submersion (the Amistad guy managed to get through this without growing any facial hair whatsoever) and the two bicker and argue for 10 minutes before one locks the other out of the facility. Whislt outside, we get to see an alleged post apocalyptic city on the horizon (this 20 second scene was what most of the films budget went into so bear with me and make the most of that mental image if you would) The guy out of off of Amistad then tries to get back inside only to be shot in the chest by Daryl out of off of The Walking Dead but makes a frankly completely implauasble recovery and manages to get rid of poor Daryl.The end.If you want to watch this utter pile of pigs number twos, please go ahead and tell me all the action, necessary dialogue, special effects, plot holes and plot developments I may have missed, but I watched it all the way through without interruption, and wrote this immediately after. That's the film folks. It's been done before with almost identical formats, with other cheapo TV actors who may have also thought it would be a good idea not to bother getting a cut and blowdry for a movie this big as The Walking Dead image is more important.I strongly recommend to anyone reading this who hasn't seen the film but doesn't believe me to go ahead and take the plunge. I guarantee you'll be wanting those 90 minutes of your life back. I know I do.3 out of 10,and THATS being generous. Thanks for calling.
AD
