Prospect

Name: Prospect
Genre: Sci-Fi
Released: November 2, 2018
Duration: 98 min
Rating: 68
Cast: Alex McCauley, Andre Royo, Anwan Glover, Arthur Deranleau, Brian Gunter

2018

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 74 Ratings

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 74 Ratings

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Prospect

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Movie Details & Credits

Gunpowder & Sky | Release Date: November 2, 2018 | Not Rated

Starring: Alex McCauley, Andre Royo, Anwan Glover, Arthur Deranleau, Brian Gunter, Christopher Morson, Doug Dawson, Jay Duplass, Krista Johnson, Luke Pitzrick, Pedro Pascal, Sheila Vand, Sophie Thatcher, Trick Danneker

Summary: A teenage girl and her father travel to a remote alien moon, aiming to strike it rich. They've secured a contract to harvest a large deposit of the elusive gems hidden in the depths of the moon's toxic forest. But there are others roving the wilderness and the job quickly devolves into a fight to survive. Forced to contend not only with theA teenage girl and her father travel to a remote alien moon, aiming to strike it rich. They've secured a contract to harvest a large deposit of the elusive gems hidden in the depths of the moon's toxic forest. But there are others roving the wilderness and the job quickly devolves into a fight to survive. Forced to contend not only with the forest's other ruthless inhabitants, but with her own father's greed-addled judgment, the girl finds she must carve her own path to escape.… Expand

Director: Chris Caldwell and Zeek Earl

Genre(s): Sci-Fi

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 98 min

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Critic Reviews

Matthew Monagle

Nov 7, 2018

Clever, dynamic, and full of little touches of world-building that will drive science-fiction fans wild, Prospect is destined to land on every list of underrated genre films for years to come, long after it has ceased being any semblance of underrated. Stay one step ahead of the curve and see it. Read full review

Cary Darling

Nov 8, 2018

Prospect has a lived-in, working-class vibe at odds with so much of the gleaming, brave new world that is the science-fiction cliché. Read full review

Bryan Bishop

Nov 16, 2018

The film hinges on Sophie Thatcher’s performance as Cee. In her feature-film debut, she brings a combination of determination and youthful naïveté to her performance that is essential to the entire movie working. Read full review

The Playlist Jordan Ruimy

Mar 16, 2018

The filmmakers brilliantly set-up an atmosphere that feels uniquely cinematic and wholly original. But when impressive world-building is established and story takes over, Prospect quickly devolves into a mess of contrivances and overstuffed characters in its more problematic second half. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Nov 12, 2018

Western or sci-fi Western, Prospect never sets its sights higher than violent, quasi-poetic B-movie and as such does not disappoint. Read full review

Keith Uhlich

Mar 16, 2018

Pascal and Thatcher are an outwardly compelling team, though they’re playing constructs instead of characters, hollow vehicles racing through this ragged future as opposed to convincingly long-term inhabitants of it. Read full review

Peter Debruge

Mar 16, 2018

Constructing character does not appear to be Earl and Caldwell’s strong suit (what’s satisfying about Cee owes almost entirely to Thatcher, a fresh face who tricks us into assuming she’s just a callow teen, when in fact, she proves to be the film’s toughest character). On the other hand, the duo show a real aptitude for world building. Read full review

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User Reviews

CityOfGeek

Dec 9, 2018

It’s always a great feeling to see a favorite of a film festival have the ability to go into a standard theatrical release. Okay, this isn’t quite standard but Prospect, one of my favorites of the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is set to play at a Regal near you starting NovemberIt’s always a great feeling to see a favorite of a film festival have the ability to go into a standard theatrical release. Okay, this isn’t quite standard but Prospect, one of my favorites of the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is set to play at a Regal near you starting November 8th, and other limited releases later -such as for Seattle Sci-fi fans who can’t make Nov 8-15 run at Regal Meridian- they can catch it at SIFF in December. Or have the ability to drag your friends once you watch and love this movie.

As I noted above, Prospect is one of my favorites of the fest. Prospect is a science fiction western using every ounce of what is likely a small budget to it’s greatest effect. When I say “Sci-fi western” don’t think Firefly. Instead, picture a small group of desperate people far and away from civilization forced to use limited resources to get to safety with a few gunfights and wild adventures. Just about everything works for Prospect. At its core, it is the story of a young woman, the startlingly amazing Sophie Thatcher (Tv’s The Exorcist), forced to take control of her life after her father (Jay Duplass) befalls tragedy while prospecting some form of alien egg,. To give even more of a drive to her action, she has to team up with man behind the tragedy (Game of Throne’s Pedro Pascal). She’s literally tethered to him on a planet attempting to kill them.

Prospect has a lot going for it outside the basics of plot and character (as good as they are) that give the extra push to seek it out. The first is the production design. It’s lean and mean. It has the feel of 70s, dirty, lived in, do it yourself Sci Fi. In all the best ways, it’s like the filmmakers had a warehouse full of junk and said “okay, how do we make spacesuits and a ship from this.” As ground and up and hand built as Star Wars, Alien, and their countless knock-off kin. Pure love held together with hot glue and dedication. There is also the setting. Believable alien worlds can be a hard sell; it’s just as easy to point out “that’s a sound stage” as is “there is so much here to scream ‘Alien Landscape’ it’s unbelievable.” For Prospect, I give major kudos to the Earl and Carldwell for turning the Olympic Peninsula’s Hoh rainforest into an other-wordly landscape. There doesnt’ feel like much is added, but yet also feels uniquely alien. It helps the area itself, a rainforest in Washington State is a weird and odd place to start with. It sells that this isnt’ earth but alien.

Prospect feels like a labor of love, wringing greatness from a little. It’s big, vibrant, and alive; with intense chemistry of the leads surrounded by the lush and beautiful landscape. For your own enjoyment as it unfolds, I won’t go into the details of Thatcher’s personal journey and plot details, as you should experience them yourself but do yourself a favor and check out one of this year’s most interesting films.

A… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

RyudoGE

Mar 12, 2023

Great visual and plot story movie. All money that cost of show on screen (and that's perfect)
Also it's nice adapation of road movie (non-smoker version of last of us game)

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

imthenoob

Feb 5, 2019

I think what I like the most about this film is the character development. At the beginning of the film, There's definitely a preconceived notion about both characters and as the film progresses, Both break that mould and develop into something else and I really enjoyed that. And itI think what I like the most about this film is the character development. At the beginning of the film, There's definitely a preconceived notion about both characters and as the film progresses, Both break that mould and develop into something else and I really enjoyed that. And it certainly helps that you have two great leads in Sophie, who stole the show, and Pedro, an already well-established actor who continues to kill it every chance he's given.

Prospect is the definition of a sleeper hit. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it. To me, It was a very satisfying film that kills it on every level.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

ajzeg01

Jan 23, 2020

Hey, it’s Pedro Pascal in space! Wait, this isn’t The Mandalorian. No, it’s Prospect, an indie sci-fi film that had its wide release in 2019. Well, it looks like a sci-fi, it has spacesuits and spaceships and an alien planet with a ton of sci-fi nonsense in the dialogue, but don’t be fooled.Hey, it’s Pedro Pascal in space! Wait, this isn’t The Mandalorian. No, it’s Prospect, an indie sci-fi film that had its wide release in 2019. Well, it looks like a sci-fi, it has spacesuits and spaceships and an alien planet with a ton of sci-fi nonsense in the dialogue, but don’t be fooled. This movie is a western, another Mandalorian similarity. It has prospectors, settlers, outlaws, rivals and untamed wilderness! Using a 50s and 60s retro sci-fi aesthetic to tell a western story was really interesting and fun to watch. This movie is on the slower side, it has a lot of long shots of just pretty scenery, but the action is definitely worth sitting through the movie for. It’s bloody and brutal! The effects are really damn good for having such a low budget. It uses a lot of practical effects with minimal CGI. You get the sense that they really are on an alien world when it’s really just a forest. The performances were great and the character dynamics were interesting. The story is simple, but it works. Overall, this is a good movie. Check it out if you like westerns or retro sci-fi!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLuis_001

Mar 17, 2019

This indie sci-fi film feels like Annihilation. Not because they are similar in some way in theme or narrative but in environment.
I know it sounds strange but that's the impression it gave me.
It has problems with the rhythm, and the story is not the most interesting, but it's ambitious,This indie sci-fi film feels like Annihilation. Not because they are similar in some way in theme or narrative but in environment.
I know it sounds strange but that's the impression it gave me.

It has problems with the rhythm, and the story is not the most interesting, but it's ambitious, even being attentive to its budgetary limitations and that same ambition makes it in my opinion an adventure more satisfying than I expected in the first instance.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

Voodoo123

Jun 20, 2022

Low budget space western despite its talented cast fails to innovate in either the western or sci-fi genres but it's quite charming in places even if a bit average as a whole.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Mauro_Lanari

Jul 3, 2019

(Mauro Lanari)
Almost zero budget and zero original ideas (a bit of psychoanalysis in the relationship between the little girl and the adult figures: umbilical cords, amputated limbs to make them harmless; a bit of space Western with the gold rush on an alien moon): why be so masochistic as(Mauro Lanari)
Almost zero budget and zero original ideas (a bit of psychoanalysis in the relationship between the little girl and the adult figures: umbilical cords, amputated limbs to make them harmless; a bit of space Western with the gold rush on an alien moon): why be so masochistic as to bear to see it?… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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