I personally loved this short film. I am a big fan of Lovecraftian stories and this one manages to forge that while also being unique in many aspects.
Characters: The characters are somewhat reminiscent of Alien with many of them just wanting to be done with the trip and others finding out secrets about the their true intentions. The acting at times did feel a bit stilted but it worked to give us this realistic setting of people who didn't know each other and were tired from a long voyage. Making the professor a bit weird at first helped to mislead the audience yet hint at his intentions. I am glad the main character is a smaller more science based guy rather than some bulky crew member. Helps to prevent the movie from feeling cliché and let's him actually drive the plot because his decision affects what happens on board. Him being a scientist but also a student lowers his authority and shows what type of person he is and his logical perspective. He is presented as being a bit traumatized when he is discovered and can only hold on to his world view and position as a scientist, the one thing keeping his mind intact.
Setting/cinematography: People bash on the setting being cliché but I felt like it was more of a nod to their inspiration and I don't blame them for the Arctic setting either. It is a mysterious place with tons of room for isolation and added danger, plus where the hell would you hide an ocean god, a deep sea drill is a bit out of their budget btw. They play into that danger of Antarctica's climate a little which also pushes the plot, go figure.
I enjoyed how they used the lighting. The light is a bit flat and desaturated at first but that creates an analytical and bleak setting that shows no real sign of danger with few shadows. As the story progresses it stays like this until our main character discovers some secrets about the professor's real intentions. They strengthen the shadows and add an aqua tone to the light that keeps building. They use the light to express his sense of comfort in the film since we mostly see it when he is around people he cares about/trusts. We see the light return to the start for an instant when he is assured their mission is not nefarious and that he was right about it being gas but instead something else happens. The darker and ominous lighting in this film helps to convey the fear and mystery they are experiencing when encountering the Lovecraftian elements.
Story is not being spoiled but I will say it is basic but good for a short film because it leaves you wanting more especially with the ending. It manages to feel unique in some aspects(designs) and have a Lovecraftian inspiration as well.
Pacing: Each event in this story has a purpose and buildup that pushes the plot and reveals story elements. We get implications of the main character's possible immunities regarding the sound and what the entity will be. They keep in mind their smaller scale and waste no time.
Effects/set: I am curious how they got this set. It seems like it would be costly but I imagine they tagged along the crew's mission to get some shots but went back to the docks to shoot others. The set felt small, but real and didn't break my immersion at any point. They definitely put a ton of their budget into the special effects and it shows! The Lovecraftian element feels like a god and feels infinite! The best way to describe it is as this cloud made of a dark flesh with these creepy frog eyes. It feels alien and it looks cosmic with earth like elements that many Lovecraftian creatures have. The effects look almost practical in some portions and definitely have implications for the theme.
Theme: It is a mix of tampering with secrets that should have remained unknown but also climate change. They say it out right which was a bit too on the nose for me but the creature design definitely brings that with the black cloud look. It was effective and not inaccurate, especially with the revealing of danger since prehistoric viruses are being found in frozen ice.
Final thoughts: This film was great. It was especially good as a short film that I find was brilliantly directed and prepared. It does it's job at entertaining and bringing a great cosmic horror story. It is a good way to bring some talented people to light SO WATCH IT NOW! Seriously you won't regret it and it doesn't feel like a 2 hour waste of time like some movies these days.
Characters: The characters are somewhat reminiscent of Alien with many of them just wanting to be done with the trip and others finding out secrets about the their true intentions. The acting at times did feel a bit stilted but it worked to give us this realistic setting of people who didn't know each other and were tired from a long voyage. Making the professor a bit weird at first helped to mislead the audience yet hint at his intentions. I am glad the main character is a smaller more science based guy rather than some bulky crew member. Helps to prevent the movie from feeling cliché and let's him actually drive the plot because his decision affects what happens on board. Him being a scientist but also a student lowers his authority and shows what type of person he is and his logical perspective. He is presented as being a bit traumatized when he is discovered and can only hold on to his world view and position as a scientist, the one thing keeping his mind intact.
Setting/cinematography: People bash on the setting being cliché but I felt like it was more of a nod to their inspiration and I don't blame them for the Arctic setting either. It is a mysterious place with tons of room for isolation and added danger, plus where the hell would you hide an ocean god, a deep sea drill is a bit out of their budget btw. They play into that danger of Antarctica's climate a little which also pushes the plot, go figure.
I enjoyed how they used the lighting. The light is a bit flat and desaturated at first but that creates an analytical and bleak setting that shows no real sign of danger with few shadows. As the story progresses it stays like this until our main character discovers some secrets about the professor's real intentions. They strengthen the shadows and add an aqua tone to the light that keeps building. They use the light to express his sense of comfort in the film since we mostly see it when he is around people he cares about/trusts. We see the light return to the start for an instant when he is assured their mission is not nefarious and that he was right about it being gas but instead something else happens. The darker and ominous lighting in this film helps to convey the fear and mystery they are experiencing when encountering the Lovecraftian elements.
Story is not being spoiled but I will say it is basic but good for a short film because it leaves you wanting more especially with the ending. It manages to feel unique in some aspects(designs) and have a Lovecraftian inspiration as well.
Pacing: Each event in this story has a purpose and buildup that pushes the plot and reveals story elements. We get implications of the main character's possible immunities regarding the sound and what the entity will be. They keep in mind their smaller scale and waste no time.
Effects/set: I am curious how they got this set. It seems like it would be costly but I imagine they tagged along the crew's mission to get some shots but went back to the docks to shoot others. The set felt small, but real and didn't break my immersion at any point. They definitely put a ton of their budget into the special effects and it shows! The Lovecraftian element feels like a god and feels infinite! The best way to describe it is as this cloud made of a dark flesh with these creepy frog eyes. It feels alien and it looks cosmic with earth like elements that many Lovecraftian creatures have. The effects look almost practical in some portions and definitely have implications for the theme.
Theme: It is a mix of tampering with secrets that should have remained unknown but also climate change. They say it out right which was a bit too on the nose for me but the creature design definitely brings that with the black cloud look. It was effective and not inaccurate, especially with the revealing of danger since prehistoric viruses are being found in frozen ice.
Final thoughts: This film was great. It was especially good as a short film that I find was brilliantly directed and prepared. It does it's job at entertaining and bringing a great cosmic horror story. It is a good way to bring some talented people to light SO WATCH IT NOW! Seriously you won't regret it and it doesn't feel like a 2 hour waste of time like some movies these days.