X
- 2018
- R
- Gunpowder & Sky
- 1 h 40 m
- 2018
- R
- Gunpowder & Sky
- 1 h 40 m
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 ...
Directed By: Christopher Caldwell, Zeek Earl
Written By: Christopher Caldwell
- 2018
- R
- Gunpowder & Sky
- 1 h 40 m
- 2018
- R
- Gunpowder & Sky
- 1 h 40 m
Prospect
68
6.8
Where to Watch
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 ...
Directed By: Christopher Caldwell, Zeek Earl
Written By: Christopher Caldwell
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
68
75% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
25% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
68
75% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
25% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
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.
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.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 81 User Ratings
6.8
67% Positive
54 Ratings
54 Ratings
23% Mixed
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
10% Negative
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 81 User Ratings
6.8
67% Positive
54 Ratings
54 Ratings
23% Mixed
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
10% Negative
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
"Prospect" is a a low-budget science fiction space western that starts simply as a "father-daughter" drama in space, quickly evolving into something way more intense. The movie really picks up steam when Pedro Pascal appears around the 20 minute+ mark as a scene-stealing charismatic rascal. The movie screams low budget but you come to respect the fine touches the filmmakers add to make the sci-fi believable. I'm going to geek out a bit here so bear with me: * I swear Pascal is channeling Nathan Fillon's "Mal" from "Serenity" / "Firefly" with his accent.
* Released in 2018, it plays like an audition tape for Pedro Pascal for his role in "The Mandalorian." * Is it just me or does the female protagonist Sophie Thatcher look like Emma Watson's sister? Is there a "hidden gem" movie list out there? If not I may have to start one.
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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 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
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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.
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.
Western or sci-fi Western, Prospect never sets its sights higher than violent, quasi-poetic B-movie and as such does not disappoint.
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.
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.
I tried to watch this movie multiple times when it was released digitally. Even though it has a promising start, I couldn’t get more then 20 minutes in every time I tried to watch it. It never grabbed me. There was a strange combination of poor filming, lackluster dialogue and what felt like a cast that took it all too seriously even on a set where the production value would have been called “cheap” by student film standards today. I also couldn’t shake the feeling that they were trying to go for a “Firefly” vibe with the parlance of the rustic old west set against visuals for a sci-fi story. With all this said, I still couldn’t recommend either way to watch it or not. If you are into science fiction then I would recommend giving it a shot. Just go in knowing that it moves slow and makes some some dark turns.
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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.
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Essentially a western on a futuristic planet. The movie is serviceable, until the main character is on screen... some of the worst acting I've witnessed in a loooong time...
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No any explanation about the planet or about anything, they came directly digging for gem !!! poor action, weak plot and the sequence of the movie was silly. Don't waste your time
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Production Company
Depth of Field,
Ground Control,
BRON Studios,
Shep Films
Release Date Nov 2, 2018
Duration 1 h 40 m
Rating R
Tagline No One Survives Alone
Awards
Leo Awards
• 3 Nominations
Fargo Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
