Aaron Paul & Eiza Gonzalez’s Sci-Fi Horror ‘Ash’ Lands Stellar Rotten Tomatoes Score

in the seriously trippy new movie. Ash is directed by Steven D. Bingley-Ellison, who is better known by his stage name Flying Lotus. The first trailer for the movie was released a month ago, and the footage was already brain-meltingly brilliant enough. But, according to the first reviews, the full movie is a surreal horror film that you have to experience as soon as humanly possible.

After the first reviews from its SXSW premiere, Ash currently sits at a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. According to the reviews, Ash expertly blends its sci-fi setting with horror tropes that Flying Lotus carefully subverts. Jamie Broadnax of Black Girl Nerds wrote, “Ash is for fans of psychological sci-fi horror,” continuing, “With gripping performances, a relentless atmosphere, and a story that permeates, this film is a triumphant blend of fear, memory, identity, and survival.” That sentiment is shared by Nicolás Delgadillo of Discussing Film who wrote:

“Flying Lotus’ Ash is a mind-bending cosmic horror masterfully brought to life with endless style. Moreover, it’s led by a career-best performance from Eiza González.”

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Zachary Lee from RogerEbert.com scored the film a high 3/4. While they admit that it isn’t flawless, Ash “knows when to subvert tropes and when to lean into them.” Meanwhile, EJ Moreno of Flickering Myth is another critic who agrees that Eiza González steals the show. “Surreal and challenging, director Flying Lotus gives sci-fi horror a fresh new entry,” they wrote. “Thankfully, all of the strangeness is grounded by a stunning performance from Eiza González.” Glenn Garner of Deadline went so far as to compare Ash’s sci-fi premise and quality to none other than Ridley Scott’s Alien, writing:

“Lotus has found his Ripley in González, who definitely earns her “final girl” stripes with this role, serving a beautifully terrified and impassioned performance, complete with a high-octane fight sequence or two and plenty of dark relevance.”

What Is ‘Ash’ All About?

Prime Video

Ash puts a big spin on the final girl in space premise made famous by Alien. Gonzalez plays Riya, who wakes up on a spaceship having found the rest of her crew brutally killed. When Brion (Paul) comes to rescue her, they must figure out what happened to the crew, and if she can actually trust him. The official synopsis reads:

“When a woman wakes up on a distant planet and finds the crew of her space station viciously killed, she must decide if she can trust the man sent to rescue her. But as their investigation into what happened sets in motion a terrifying chain of events, he begins to wonder how innocent she really is….”

While a few lucky critics saw the film early at SXSW, the rest of us don’t have to wait too long before Ash gets a general release. The film will receive a limited theatrical release on Mar. 21.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Black Girl Nerds, Discussing Film, RogerEbert.com, Flickering Myth, Deadline

Ash

Release Date

March 21, 2025

Director

Flying Lotus

Writers

Jonni Remmler

Producers

Neill Blomkamp, Matthew Metcalfe, Nate Bolotin, Aram Tertzakian, Nick Spicer, Maile Daugherty, Adam Riback

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